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fallinfl0wers · 3 years ago

Note

May request prompt

"Even if we're far apart, I'll keep singing for you with all my love." Unbalance Shadow - ZOOL

For Haruka from i7 please?

7. “Even if we’re far apart, I’ll keep singing for you with all my love.” Unbalance Shadow - ZOOL from the lyric prompt list! thank you for your request!! i love haruka so so so much, he's my favorite character in i7! >< also! i'm trying a slightly new format that i'll be aplying to my future posts! i'll also start editing the old ones just beause,, yeah i think it looks cute. the colored letters aren't part of the format, but i felt like they fit here so lol on a slightly sadder note, the first draft of this got deleted on accident and i had been sulking about it for a while but lol here we are warnings: gn reader, light hurt/comfort, fluff, long-distance relationships, set sometime in the future of i7's story, though this is pretty much fluff without plot,,, word count: 1623 words

"Up next are Natsume-san and Isumi-san, three minutes!" the voice of a staff member makes him look up from the screen of his phone, where he had been aimlessly scrolling down on his SNS while the hairstylists did his hair.

"Yeah, understood." He answers, putting his phone down on the table as a makeup artist retouches his makeup.

The young idol then walked alongside his unitmate to enter the dark stage, adjusting his in-ear monitor as he sat down on the chair preppared for him beforehand, surrounded by the expectant, excited whispers of the audience who waved their lightsticks in support for their favorite idols. Scanning the audience with his eyes, he clutched his microphone.

The spotlights landed on the two idols as the music started to play and they could hear the cheering of their fans before they quieted down, in order to hear their singing.

"I wandered, lost in my loneliness like a desert without roads."

Haruka Isumi didn't need anyone at his side to be the best, everyone will just drop him the moment the next shiny, newest toy appears in front of them. At least, that's what his experience had taught him.

"There, a single, tiny flower became the melody of love."

Then everything happened. ZOOL happened. But more importantly, you happened.

He, who didn't care for almost anything anymore, became infatuated with you. He fell in love with you, who always looked at him and appreciated him, you, who always supported him and never laughed at him.

"My tears suddenly fell, shaking the green leaves."

You, who helped him through each and every one of his worst moments and were there to laugh with him during his best moments, you, who were both his best friend and his dear, dear lover.

"Wow, 'the weaker you become...'"

You, who always supported him on his dreams and were the first one to congratulate him on everything he achieved.

You, who he was now supporting as you walked to your own dreams.

You, who were walking towards your dreams, far, far away from him.

"(So, don't look back)."

"'...the kinder...'"

You, who he hoped woke up earlier than usual today just to see him singing live even if it was through a computer.

"(Sharing, big love)."

"'...you'll become.' Your gentle warmth taught me that."

You, who taught him everything he knew about romantic love, who showed him that there was more to people than hatred and betrayal. So warm and gentle, you always made him feel like he belonged somewhere.

But you're not next to him, not anymore. Not physically, at least.

But, that's alright. It hurts, it hurts so much and it makes him anxious constantly even if he'd never admit it out loud. But that's alright.

"Like the falling rain, we are not alone."

That's alright, even if it hurts and it brings scary, unwanted thoughts into his mind, it's alright. It's alright, because he knows you're doing what you love just like he is.

And it's alright, because he's not the weak, arrogant crybaby he was when you met. He's stronger now, he has grown up, he's mature. He can handle this. He can keep this going. He can support you without crying every night for your absence.

"Beneath this wide sky, even if you're on the other side of the world, I'm thinking--"

"--of you again today."

It's alright, because he knows you've grown up as well, he knows neither of you is a stupid, oh so stupid and inexperienced highschooler like when you first met. He knows, you both can be stronger than this distance.

"(Unbalance, Unbalance)."

"Look, the crescent moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

He knows this, and still...

He can't help but get worried, sometimes.

"(Unbalance, Unbalance)."

"I want to envelop everything..."

He can't help but worry that you'll get tired of this. Tired of him always being busy, of your schedules never matching, of how he still has to keep you as a secret to protect you from the tabloids and his crazed fans. Worry that you might find someone who has less trouble giving affection, someone who can love you better than him.

Though all his worries wash away, everytime you send him a picture of his newest merchandise that just arrived to your apartment and a cute stamp through RabbitChat at ungodly hours for him, followed by the usual voice note saying 'i love you'.

He knows you have your own fears about it all, as well. But he's told you, over and over again, without ever feeling annoyed, that he only has eyes for you, no matter how many pretty actresses and idols try to snatch him away, the only person he loves in that way is you and only you.

There has never been anyone else but you inside his heart.

You're the only one Haruka wants to spend his whole life with, the only one who can fully understand him and love him.

"...Just as the gentle wind loves the sea..."

And no matter how longer you may have to be apart, how many people you both will meet and how many worries there will be in between before you can next meet again, he wants to and will make sure to remind you daily that he loves you and will love you until he takes his last breath.

"Even if we're far apart, I'll keep singing for you with all my love."

He lifts his gaze to look at the camera with a content sparkle hidden in his eyes, once his next line comes around.

"I wish you--"

("I got a scholarship to finish my college studies overseas, Haruka!" You told him a couple years ago.)

"--happiness."

("I'll be here waiting for you to comeback when you're ready." He called your name that night at the airport, hugging you close before you took off.)

"This seed of happiness that I touched exists to protect the person I love."

("It must be hard for you, isn't it? You don't need to call me every day if you're too tired to do it. I can wait for as long as you need.")

"Our words dissolve in the twilight."

("Nonsense! I... am, tired, but! You must be tired too, right? Get some rest, I'll hang up if you promise you're going to rest too!")

"That seed of happiness that you touched reaches out to someone I don't know."

("I saw that selfie you posted with those two from ainana, I'm so happy to see you really have friends!" "Why did you even doubt that?!" "I worry about you, since I can't see you everyday and all that...")

"Because the circle of love that connects us lights up tomorrow."

("I miss you." "I know, I miss you too." "Let's try to meet during my summer break?" "I already told you, didn't I? I can wait for as long as you need, dummy.")

"Look, it has started to rain."

("Isn't it almost midnight there? Go to sleep." "But I wanna talk more with you..." "You're so hopeless... Go on, sleep, I'm not going anywhere until you sleep." "Hehehe, can I get a lullaby from you before I sleep?" "There's no helping it, right? You really get needy when it's late at night." "But you love anyway, so it works out...~")

"I want to envelop everything, Shadow."

("...Yeah, I love you.")

"Today's live was amazing, Haruka!" Your voice tells him through the phone while he layed down on his bed, late at night in his timezone. "Everyone was so cool, but you were the coolest! The whole time you were on screen I was all like 'Yes this is my boyfriend just look at him go he's so amazing!!!'"

He chuckled at your words, a loving gaze softening his gaze while he listened to your voice.

"I know, right? Praise me more, praise me more~ But only after you tell me, did you sleep early yesterday to wake up early today?"

"I totally did! I wouldn't miss one of your shows if I can help it!"

Though most of the times you couldn't.

He still felt his heartbeat race up at your support.

"You're so cute, did you know that?"

"Eh-? Why tell me that all of a sudden?!"

"Because..." He yawned. "I want to." You went silent for a second, before speaking again.

"You're tired, aren't you? You should go to sleep..."

"No... wanna talk to you more..."

He can already hear your tender smile just from your words alone.

"Go ahead, Haruka. You did well today, you deserve some rest."

"Do I get a lullaby from you to sleep?"

You chuckled.

"Yeah, of course. You are so needy when it's late at night..."

"Like you're one to talk."

"I know, I know."

He smiles, hearing you giggle through the phone.

"I wish I could hold you until you fell asleep right now... But since I can, you'll have to do with me singing my new favorite song for you~"

"'s okay, I like your voice. I'd listen to your voice the whole day if you wanted me to."

"Then... I'll start..." You cleared your throat, and he couldn't help but smile to himself again when he heard the lyrics of his duet song with Minami.

You're not a singer like he is, and you of course haven't trained your voice for as long as he has, he knows that and he still loves the sound of your singing voice.

He drifts off to sleep with your voice as his lullaby, and he knows you both hold true to the lyrics for as long as you need to.

"Even if we're far apart, I'll keep singing for you with all my love...~"

#idolish7 #idolish seven #idolish7 headcanons #idolish7 x reader #haruka isumi #idolish7 zool #idolish7 imagines #haruka isumi x reader #isumi haruka x reader #isumi haruka #melodywritings #melwritesainana

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tsipasce · 4 years ago

Text

Same Difference Ch.17

A/N: Here is your reward for enduring last week lmao. This one is a bit long, but cutting it up just didn't seem as gratifying so I hope you guys enjoy.

Also, thank you so much for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks on AO3 and FFN-- you guys are too kind :'). I'll try posting more regularly on Tumblr too if ppl wanna read it here. Let me know what y'all think~

There was darkness, then flickers of lights and the occasional overwhelming flow of noises before it ebbed to silence and darkness yet again. First, she felt she was on a hard surface like concrete, then cold metal, then something cushion-like… a bed? Her thoughts were incoherent, presenting more as disjointed words and feelings. Anger, regret, hurt, with a sprinkle of sadness on top. Her body was heavy, every limb feeling as though the blood had been replaced with lead. Her head lolled and she heard someone suddenly shift at her side, the bed dipping under the pressure of said someone leaning on it and over her but was too out of it to open her eyes. Acquiescing, she fell back into unconsciousness.

An indefinite amount of time passed while she was in the darkness before her senses began to return fully. She heard typing, now able to feel a presence nearby. She wanted to open her eyes, but the task seemed too daunting still, simply listening would have to be enough for now.

“I can stand watch for now, if you’d like.” One voice offered, softly.

“What I’d like is to be left alone.” The other replied curtly.

“I see. We’re going to leave in the next few hours, I’ll get everyone ready.”

“You do that.”

Well this guy sounds like a treat… Nanami thought, her sarcasm unsurprisingly returning before the rest of her senses and memories. There were footsteps and then a soft thud, like a door being carefully shut. A couple moments passed before she heard what sounded like a laptop being closed, then footsteps coming towards her, and then silence. She desperately wanted to wake up, but her body refused to cooperate, causing her eyes to flutter behind her eyelids as she struggled in vain to move. She could sense the presence hadn’t left and she felt anxious as to what might happen next before hearing a sigh. She felt a sheet being pulled up to cover her arms, where goosebumps had been forming from the draft in wherever she was.

“I’ll deal with you when I get back.” The voice said with a hint of annoyance, though it was betrayed by its gentle tone. Hearing footsteps growing fainter, a door opened and closed once more. The words themselves were threatening but the way they were spoken, she felt oddly comforted. Falling back into the darkness, she decided to cultivate her energy and try her luck at waking up again later.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Emerging from the darkness again, the pain began immediately. Her head throbbed and she reflexively tried to groan but found her mouth and throat painfully full. Instantly recognizing the feeling, panic set in, the only other thing she could perceive being the desperate need for it to stop. She grabbed the tube, disassembling and reassembling it outside her body. The large obstruction dropped unceremoniously to the floor and she coughed, glad to be rid of it.

“Don’t be so rough with the equipment.”

She rolled her head to the direction of the voice, a bright light hitting her eyes as she struggled to open them for the first time since… Damn. It all came rushing back to her at once, the voice no longer a mystery. Her vision focused and she found herself looking at Overhaul as he sat at her bedside. His mask was on as he stared at her blankly. She stared back for a beat, not knowing how to begin speaking about what brought them to this point. Deciding she should be fully awake and rested for that conversation, she mentally tabled it, opting for their usual banter instead.

“It’s still intact isn’t it?” She cleared her throat, massaging it as she continued, “How long was I out?”

“Three days.”

“THREE DAYS?” Her eyes shot wide, another coughing fit beginning as she raised her voice after not speaking for days.

“Yes, that’s what I said.” He grimaced, moving back a bit at her sudden outburst, “Cough in the other direction.”

“No surprise that your bedside manner could use some work.” She sighed as she adjusted to raise herself up, wincing as her sore muscles tried their best to comply. He promptly rose, putting a pillow behind her as she sat up, his expression blank yet attentive, “Thanks.”

He nodded as he took his seat again and the silence continued, painfully. It felt like their first meeting all over again, neither knowing how to broach the awkward topic. Looking back, Nanami was angry at how insufferably rude he could be but couldn’t ignore her own part in this. A pang of guilt sat heavily in her chest when she remembered how easily she let her emotions get the best of her; she hadn’t told someone off like that in ages. In her mind, it in no way absolved him, but to say it was all his fault would be a lie. In that moment of rage, she… What did I do anyway? She glanced down, now more confused than anything, her brows furrowing before looking at him.

“Let’s chat.”

He readjusted in his chair, leaning back as he crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest, “Let’s.”

His body language oozed condescension as though she was about to be scolded like a child and she hated it, “Why’d you attack me. Again.”

His eyes narrowed, displeased with how she was beginning their talk,” That was going to be my question to you. I thought we had a deal.”

“What are you talking about? We did—we do—I did not attack you.” she defended. Nanami knew they were both wrong for getting so worked up, but she wouldn’t stoop that low over an argument. “I was wrong, we both were for getting so heated, but I wouldn’t just start throwing hands like that. So again, why did you attack me? I thought… I thought we got passed all that.”

His brow furrowed at the implication, his jaw clenching uncomfortably at the hurt in her voice, “We are. We’re far passed all of that.” He intoned with a level of sincerity that seemed foreign to him. Having spent the past three days chastising himself for putting her in this position, wishing the exchange could be taken back, it was difficult to sound detached. He’d been angry, but harming her had been something he’d put out of his mind some time ago, “I didn’t attack you either…”

They both shared a moment of sincere confusion. Overhaul hadn’t come out unscathed either, having to heal his own head injury as well as a cracked vertebra from the impact once he came to. “Then what the hell happened?” Nanami asked, speaking the question they were both wrestling with. She looked around the room for her bag at the same time Overhaul reached for his laptop.

“We should run tests.” They said in unison. He handed her her notebook from the bag and a pen as they began noting exactly what happened leading up to the explosion. As she recalled the events, there were a number of theories that came to mind, as well as ideas on how to safely perform reenactments of what transpired, but she also remembered the argument beforehand. He was somehow even more quiet than usual, and she could tell his gears were turning that morning, but the hostility seemed so out of the blue. Putting down her pen, he glanced up at her, noticing the sound of her writing had stopped and she was staring down thoughtfully.

“Did you think of something?”

“…Yeah. I did. Why’d you pick a fight with me that day?”

He looked back down at his keyboard and continued typing, “I don’t know what you mean. That little tiff was a joint effort.”

“No, no, no. It may have ended up that way, but you blew up at me after an entire week of solid teamwork. I expect the snide comments and the general air of grumpiness, but that was different… What happened?” He made the mistake of making eye contact with her. She didn’t look angry, just hurt.

Taken aback, all he could manage was “… I don’t know.” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that “emotion” nor did he have any plans to discuss feelings. If he was being honest, he wasn’t even sure why he did it himself. Perhaps it was self-sabotage and he was pushing her away, but to accept that would mean acknowledging they had gotten close; that he had, at some point, made the subconscious decision to stop viewing her as a pawn or even just a colleague, and to indulge the need for far more than their formal arrangement. He wasn’t ready to come to terms with the possible loss of his objectivity when it came to whatever went on between them, but he knew he’d have to confront the undercurrents of their relationship at some point. Right now, they had discovered a possible breakthrough in their research and there was no room for delay. With a ghost of a plan in mind for how to move forward with Nanami, he decided it would be more logical to smooth things over in the immediate moment with Dr. Watanabe; separating the two identities giving him the illusion of control. He continued” But I do know it won’t happen again. That was…unprofessional. How is your head?”

She bit her lip and exhaled, seeing the switch flick in his eyes knowing the wall had been put back up. “It’s... it’s fine. Just a little—no, really sore.” She confirmed with herself, rubbing her hand over the source of the pain to find stiches. Why wouldn’t he just overhaul this? “So, you decided to fix this the old-fashioned way, huh? The stitchwork is impeccable, but why go through the trouble? You could have just—”

“I didn’t want to touch you.”

“… Ouch.” She winced, glancing away as the abrupt response hurt a bit more than she expected.

Realizing it hadn’t been received how he planned, he clarified,” I meant I…didn’t want to use it on you. I was under the impression we had somehow attacked each other and assumed you might not find the prospect of me handling you in that way all that appealing.”

“…Oh. Well, thank you... I don’t mind if you touch me now” he rose a brow at this, “—I mean like to heal or—Oh you know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes before crossing her arms and continuing, “Just… just do it, please.” The last word tacked on with a mumble.

Letting out an amused breath, he rose, motioning her to turn so her back faced him as he removed his gloves. She quickly brushed her hair to the side, missing a few strands. She tensed as he was much closer than she was prepared for, feeling the warmth of his hands against the nape of her neck as he gently gathered the stray hairs and handed them to her to gather in front. Smoothing down the part, he leisurely ran his hands through her hair, losing himself for a second before noticing the tops of her ears had reddened and her breath had quickened at his ministrations. Refocusing, he disassembled the stitches before immediately healing the wound knowing even a millisecond of delay would prove very painful. “Done.”

Cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders, she felt normal again and ready to get out of bed as her muscles had been unused for the better part of three days. Checking the time on her phone on the nightstand she saw it was only 6 am, “So, you wanna go for a run?”

“That’s not funny.”

“Fine, fine. But on a serious note, I think we should head to the lab. I know the deal was 2 weeks bu—”

“You don’t have to bargain. Get cleaned up, I’ll start preparations for testing tomorrow.”

She turned to him, brows raised in surprise, “Well okay then. I’ll see you back at the house.”

“See you there.” He said before exiting her room, shutting the door softly.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After a thorough scrubbing and stretching, she felt ready to get back to her remaining paperwork, putting on her favorite chunky turtleneck and sweatpants effectively pulling off the lazy-but-still-fashionable look. Brewing herself a cup of tea and pulling out her workbag, she thought it best to not dwell on all the Feels ™ that had continuously threatened to surface, which was undoubtedly exacerbated by their current living situation.

She was woman enough to admit she stared just a little too long, smiled just a bit too enthusiastically, and was way too excited by even the smallest bits of physical contact with him… But it’s just a crush. She lied to herself as though he hadn’t been the most intellectually stimulating person she’d had the pleasure of talking to. As though she’d ever felt silence more comfortable than their time in the lab or simply sharing meals together. As though— Girl if you don’t concentrate... She chastised herself before attempting to neatly compartmentalize her feelings, refusing to acknowledge just how much more difficult keeping them in check had become. It’s just because you’re all up under each other, it’ll pass.

Refocusing on the task at hand, she opened her laptop and pulled out a well-worn file folder, her gaze turning somber as her fingers traced the bend of it; evidence of the many nights she’d revisited it only to close it when the answers didn’t come. In the past month she’d taken on a patient who seemingly had nowhere to go. Many of her colleagues had turned him away, seemingly too jaded to go through the trouble of dealing with such a case. Nanami herself was puzzled when she reviewed his file, but she knew there was no other option; she had to at least try.

Kenta was a very jovial, large person with a personality to match. Built much like a strongman with tusks not unlike a walrus, he was hard to miss. Before he became her patient, she’d see him making small talk with the other patients, encouraging them though he himself was on the way to chemotherapy, his weight dwindling by the day. The previous doctors told him that he had osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. It was seemingly exacerbated by his quirk that gave him dense bones; they were perfect for diving, but apparently came at this very high price. The treatment had shown mild success, but her predecessors had decided his condition was becoming too advanced and an amputation was in order. After that visit, he attempted to keep his jovial nature, but his physical appearance continued to deteriorate, the medication and tests taking their toll. Full-hardy laughs were interrupted by coughing fits, round cheeks flexed into a habitual smile were replaced with gaunt hollows. Nanami couldn’t help but feel was cruel to be given such great power and still be unable to solve this problem.

She agonized, sincerely perplexed as to why someone as healthy and active as Kenta could have developed such an aggressive and rare form of cancer so quickly. It didn’t helped that after the first doctor’s diagnosis, the subsequent three doctors took little to no efforts to confirm said diagnosis, so she remained thoroughly unconvinced. She was a prodigy in her own right, but that alone couldn’t negate seniority. To go against the other doctors, she would need substantial proof of her theory—and also a theory to begin with.

Nanami was stirred from her thoughts by the sound of the silo being activated, as Overhaul stepped out. It had been hours since she had last gotten up as day turned into late night, too engrossed in her task. She glanced up for a moment, giving an absent-minded “hey” before returning to her work. It was unlike her to brush him off so quickly, and he assumed there were still hard feelings from earlier. Approaching her, he was about to speak before he caught a glimpse of her screen and notes, the file folder and its contents now haphazardly splayed on the coffee table, a few with drops of moisture on them.

“Didn’t I tell you no drinking in the living roo—” he stopped short, hearing a small sniffle escape her, before she attempted to cover it up by clearing her throat.

“Sorry, yeah, no drinking in the living room.” She laughed emptily, gathering the papers that were stained.

Seeing people cry was usually... uninspiring to him, to say the least; he couldn’t understand it, the need for such dramatic displays as an adult. But he found himself making exceptions more and more; she wasn’t one to throw herself on the floor in a tantrum—at least not seriously. Her tears were stifled, indignant, and his curiosity—yes, we’ll call it “curiosity”— got the better of him.

“What are you doing? Crying?”

“No!... Maybe.” She stubbornly corrected, further averting her gaze, hoping to use her hair as a curtain to obscure her face. Pausing for a beat, his attention turned to what he presumed was the source. He read over it as she attempted to fix her face. His brow furrowed, and Nanami turned back to see what he was doing. “Why do you care?”

“Osteosarcoma seems like an odd diagnosis for someone with his age and history.” He noted, choosing not to answer her question.

“That’s what I said!” she instinctually replied before remembering herself, “I mean quit snooping, this is patient-doctor information. It’s illegal to share.”

“Yet you brought it outside your office, to a yakuza base.” He deadpanned, pointing out the hypocrisy, taking a seat next to her on the couch. She pursed her lips, continuing to mull over theories, assuming he’d get bored and leave her be. “If not osteosarcoma, what do you think it could be?”

Knowing discretion was one of his strong suits, she decided to humor him. “I’m not sure. The tumor grew extremely fast and they began chemo almost immediately, so I didn’t get the benefit of a fresh diagnosis. He’d been perfectly healthy otherwise and his line of work kept him pretty active.”

“What’s his occupation?”

“He’s a commercial diver, it’s pretty fitting since his quirk gives him a lot of walrus-like qualities.”

“Sounds hazardous.”

“You’re one to talk. He’s practically made for it so drowning or being crushed under the pressure is near-impossible for him.”

“I was referring to all of the equipment. The fact that he’s kept all of his limbs up to this point is impressive.”

Slowly turning to him, a tired look on her face, she replied “… Your compliments are so very strange.”

Shrugging he continued, “It’s not that odd. The number of divers and sailors I’ve seen at port with mutilated legs is not small.”

Nanami was mid eye-roll when an epiphany struck her. Her eyes went wide, and she began frantically rummaging through the paperwork. "Shit-- wait, online!" grabbing her laptop, she began typing in a frenzy as Overhaul watched calmly. Finding Kenta's online records in the hospital database, she read a file from a month before his diagnosis stating he had been in a diving accident that severely fractured his leg where his tumor now was. She let out a shaky breath of excitement, "MO. It's fucking Myositis Ossificans! This explains why the 'tumor' grew so quickly. It's because it wasn't even really a tumor, just his body's response to a traumatic injury-- This is amazing!"

He felt the corner of his mouth tug upward, as she practically wiggled in genuine excitement. “That diagnosis sounds much more appropriate.”

Facing him on the couch, she reflexively grabbed him by his shoulders, lost in excitement, before realizing what she was doing. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to just grab you like that,” she hurriedly removed her hands before he waved it off. “It’s just... I’ve been poring over this since I got this case but hadn’t thought to make that connection since he never mentioned the injury.” Thinking back for a moment, it dawned on her, “... how did you know to ask?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you.”

Smiling, he rose, walking to the kitchen, “Would you like a cup?”

Very aware he was evading her question, she rolled her eyes smiling in kind “Sure. Of what?” She wrote down her final notes before putting away the files, tucking them and her laptop away as she waited for an answer.

Bringing over two cups of sake and the bottle, he sat next her with his own before sliding over her cup. She gave him a look and he sighed, “Consider it your reward for your work today. But don’t get used to it, my living room consumption rule still stands.”

She raised her hands in surrender, chuckling before taking a sip. “Oh! Let’s play a game.”

His brows furrowed as he continued to face forward still enjoying his drink,” Do I seem like a man who plays games?”

“Well, judging by the shogi board, I’d say yes.”

“… Just set the board.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit before starting the odd conversation, chatting and playing until they were on their fourth cup. Nanami was admittedly tipsy by this point and decided to ask something that had been on her mind for a while now with the aid of her liquid courage. If ever there was an opportunity, it was now, “Hey, why didn’t you ever become a doctor?” The question caught him off guard as he stopped drinking and peered off into the distance thoughtfully. His lips parting for a moment to speak before closing again to consider his answer.

“It would be difficult to treat people you can’t touch.”

“Hm… sounds like a copout. I wear gloves on the job at least 80% of the time and a lot of the non-surgical work that requires touching could easily be done by a nurse. So, what’s the real reason?”

“Well, you’re awfully bold tonight.”

“Eh, it’s your fault anyway,” she reminded him, toying with the sake glass. “So, are you gonna tell me or not?”

He considered her for a second before answering, “Win this game and I’ll tell you.”

“Easy.” She shot back before considering another outcome, “and what if I lose?”

He smiled easily, her stomach flipping as a glint of mischief was evident in his eyes, “Just try your best to win.”

Nanami was determined, or at least she convinced herself she was, not wanting to confront her curiosity at what he would do if she lost … or what he would do to me… Ok, let me put down this sake before I get a life sentence to horny jail. Recomposing herself a bit, she observed the board, stifling a smirk when she saw her path to victory. It was a moderately long game, but the outcome was in her favor as she took his king. Raising the piece betwixt her fingers, she smirked, “Now spill the beans.”

He stared into the proverbial abyss, slightly peeved at the loss, priding himself as a more-than proficient player before tonight. “Give me a moment.” He said casually raising a finger as he cleared his throat. Taking a measured sip from his cup before locking eyes with her, “I have a duty.” Nanami shot him an unsatisfactory look before he clarified, continuing, “Pops took me in when I had nothing to offer. This,” he began as he leered at his hands, recalling the destruction they regularly wrought, “is what I was meant to become in order to repay him. Bringing the yakuza back to their former glory and carrying on his legacy are my primary objectives. My time is limited since he’s not as young as he used to be. The years of schooling it would take to reap the benefits he deserves would prove much too long. Indulging in a dream like that is not in my nature, even if I did have the time. That is why.”

Her smile dulled as she processed his response. She wasn’t self-righteous enough to impose her own ideals on him, but it seemed like such a waste. His leading questions tonight were just one of many examples of his expertise. Even without the formal schooling he had a level of mastery that could easily earn him a degree, and coupled with his research skills, he could do a world of good. But instead here he was, content with just the opportunity to pay his debts. For someone so arrogant, he thought surprisingly little of his own nature. Maybe someday someone could convince him he didn’t have to carry around this weight all the time. Still very tipsy, she responded,” Well, if it’s a dream of yours to begin with, your nature can’t be all that bad now can it?” At this he knitted his brows, trying to accept the possibility. Seeing his hesitation, she continued, “You can do both, you know. Give yourself some more credit, bird brain.” She slurred the last insult, finishing her sake off with a gulp, not wanting to sound too soft. Feeling the consequences of her actions, she swayed sleepily in her seat before closing her eyes.

The next thing she knew, she felt herself being nudged awake, “Come on, get up. You need to get into bed.”

“But it’s sooo comfy here. Why are you being such a buzzkill, Kai?” she whined as he grasped her forearms, encouraging her to rise from her seat.

Stopping in his tracks, he asked a bit taken aback, “Where did you hear that name?”

“Your Poppy Pops told me” She almost sang, a grin plastered on her face.

“…Do not ever use the phrase ‘Poppy Pops’ again. Also, if couches were meant for sleeping, beds wouldn’t exist.” He responded irritated, though he handled her like porcelain, still remembering how unpleasant the last three days had been. Guiding Nanami to her room, he finally got her to lay down after tuning out a slew of other ridiculous nickname proposals, the drowsiness setting in as soon as her head hit the pillow. Knowing it would be too much work convincing a now drunk Nanami to get under the covers, he begrudgingly put a spare blanket over her. Before leaving, he looked back at her sleepy form. As much as they could grate each other’s nerves, no one had ever thought to encourage him or challenge his own thinking besides his father. He had never been a warm or sentimental person, having to try thrice as hard to grasp emotions that came so naturally to others, but she had planted a seed of doubt. Having always been so confident in his own lacking, he found a part of himself excited to be proven wrong for the first time. Before closing the door softly, he spoke “Thank you, Nanami.”

#overhaul #kai chisaki #chisaki kai #bnha #mha overhaul #overhaul fanfiction #mha fanfic #overhaul x oc #bnha fanfic #mha oc #overhaul x nanami #nanami watanabe #same difference #mc fanart #multichapter #fanfiction #fanfic #overhaul fanfic

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saintsforsakencity · 5 years ago

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Professor Fahey

Dudes, I was scrolling through my drafts and I found the best post I’ve ever written. It’s really long and all over the place in terms of tone and topic (I think I was planning to break it up into smaller posts, but who has time for that). Here it is:

I’ve seen a couple people floating a headcanon that Jesper becomes a professor at the Ketterdam University. The idea startled me at first—didn’t he hate school?—but the more I’ve thought about it, I realized that Jesper would be the best professor the University has ever seen. Think about it:

He gets bored easily. His lectures will be full of group problem sets, games, simulations, discussions, fantasy!Kahoot.

There’s a professor at my college (who probably has ADHD) who builds stretch breaks into the middle of his lectures. Everyone loves him. Jesper would totally do that.

Not to mention, he’s a good speaker!

And he tried to sell himself as “the funny friend” as an unhealthy coping mechanism, sure, and in this future time he’s over that, but he still knows how to drop in a well-placed joke to wake up the class.

His homework assignments will be project-based, along the lines of “visit the Exchange and take notes on how people behave,” and “build a model out of bread cubes and toothpicks.”

I’m imagining him as primarily an Economics and Politics professor, because I think that’s where his experiences would lead him, but he’s all about alternative models and interpretations and once called neoliberalism “a load of naive horse dung” in front of a lecture hall of 300 freshmen.

His published research, articles letters-to-the-editor has made him enemies in academia, government, the international community, and the press—not to mention a few more Barrel enemies. He thrives on it.

He’ll also just teach seminars on whatever interests him because if you think he’s going to teach the same topics year after year, you are dead wrong.

Most importantly, he’d also be the professor ready to throw down for his students. He likes risk. He cares about people. He will fight the administration on anything that’s unfair to his kids.

He almost singlehandedly invents the concept of a disability accommodations policy and is responsible for its enforcement.

He built the wheelchair ramp into his building himself—without telling the administration beforehand.

The University tried to fire him once and the entire student body lobbied to get him rehired.

He’s the faculty advisor for international students and helps them navigate Ketterdam culture, find resources, and practice Kerch.

He cooks for them sometimes. They start having monthly potluck dinners and he learns dishes from everywhere from Southern Shu Han to the Fjerdan branch of the Suli. Eventually, when a new student joins, no matter where they’re from, he or another student can cook them something from somewhere close to home.

In middle school, I had a teacher who we all believed was in the Illuminati because he would casually drop into his lectures references to jobs he’d held and places he’d visited. There were many of them and they all seemed very improbable. He was weirdly willing to spend large amounts of money taking his classes out for lunch as a reward for perfect attendance, implying that he was rich beyond what you would expect from a middle school teacher. That’s Jesper.

“Thanks for the holiday cookies! They remind me of some I tried years ago, when I was in Fjerda” “what were you doing in Fjerda?”(expecting to learn a bit about his research projects) “Trying to prevent a war. It was a bit of a disaster but it worked out in the end and I got paid.”

“Hey I got the class tickets to the opening night of *fancy opera* let’s go analyze some themes!”

“So a friend of mine, she—you all know about the Crow Club? It’s run by a gang, of course—she’s the assistant manager and she has this great analogy...” (that’s Anika, btw)

If you catch him after class, he might tell you some juicy stories that the statute of limitations has run out on.

Wylan tries to hide it, but he gets a bit angsty thinking about the University because of his bad experiences with education, and doesn’t visit Jesper at work much.

So Jesper puts together a class on the emerging technologies of photography, projection, and film. Grading is on sketches, darkroom labs, film screenings, class discussions, and oral presentations. No reading required.

He wheedles Wylan into enrolling. He doesn’t tell anyone he and Wylan are married and gets a TA to grade all Wylan’s assignments so no one can’t say his good grades are out of pity.

Wylan, obviously, does fantastically (it’s art plus technology, are you kidding?!), and he delivers his final presentation so confidently that Jesper teases him about how cocky he looked for hours afterwards to keep from crying. Wylan can tell.

Next year, Jesper pulls some strings to get Wylan hired part-time so he can take over the class. (He doesn’t have to pull a lot of strings; Wylan is a rich merchant and the administration is happy for the chance to suck up to him).

Jesper does not stop carrying guns. The administration would not like this if they found out but who’s going to tell them?

There is a rumor among the students about a parallel, faculty-only party circuit. This is true and Jesper started it.

I love professor!Jesper so much; there’s so much potential here.

I want to be in his class.

Please nitpick the quality of these headcanons and add your own!

#arin chat #six of crows #grishaverse #crooked kingdom #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper

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jason-todd-deserved-better · 6 years ago

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Welcome to the DC Universe - Tim Drake x Reader Headcanon

Request: “I really love your 'welcome to the dc universe' stuff. May i ask a Tim Drake ver? To complete it? Ty”

AN: After three scrapped drafts, four months of delays, and a whole year of planning, I’ve finally have gotten to post Tim’s version of WttDCU. I’m so sorry that it has taken so long, it’s been a long time going and after scraping it three times, I’ve finally figured out the story that I wanted to tell. It’s different than the other boy’s but in all honesty, I’ve grown to love this one so much and even though writer’s block did not help me whatsoever, I’m very proud of what this had become. I hope you guys enjoy, let me know what y’all think, and I love you guys, just want to make sure you guys know that!

Since you were a kid, you were absolutely obsessed with Batman.

Like Batman: The Animated Series was the shit for you, and you were seriously obsessed with it.

Since you were so young, you always loved the Robin character, from Dick Grayson to later Tim Drake. (Unfortunately, Jason Todd was never really in the show from what you remembered.)

Even as you grew older, you often rewatched the series every now and then.

But then you started going for the comics, and oh wow there was a richer story with them.

The Batman series were always your favorite though, you would often read through those the most, especially the ones with the rest of the Batfam.

Hell, you loved almost everyone there, especially the third Boy Wonder.

Oh man did you have a crush on that dude.

To you he seemed the most relatable, especially when you started college this semester.

The sleepless nights spent studying, the constant amount of work that needed to be done, and the ever present need for coffee. (Oh you needed that crap injected in your veins at this point, because you were about ready to crash and burn.)

Yep, very relatable.

Especially now at the most stressful wonderful time of the year, when finals are running rampant and with you craving an end to this misery called a semester.

By some miracle of the gods though, you had just made it out of your last exam of the hell quarter and you were ready to just melt away into nothing. (Or freeze into oblivion because it was way too freaking cold outside to function.)

Since it was freezing outside and you finally had a time to relax, you decided that a long and warm shower would be absolute heaven right now.

So after trudging to your apartment that was five minute walk from your campus, and tugging off your warm layers, you hop into the shower, goosebumps littering your skin from the cold.

You turned on the shower, letting the warm water tug you into bliss.

Which was interrupted by a large crash that sounded as if it originated from your kitchen.

At this, your eyes could be compared to one of a deer in front of headlights.

Absolutely no one else should be in the apartment right then because your roommate left two days ago to go spend time with her family for the holidays.

To make matters worse, you didn’t bring any change of clothes into the bathroom because they weren’t there.

Oh you really wanted to cry right then and there but you stare at the shower curtain rod that you were going to put in to replace the old one, but have now found a new use for it.

Turning off the water, you get your towel, securing it around yourself and grabbing the rod that you were now going to use as a makeshift bat.

Opening the door slightly to check if the coast was clear, you glance out, seeing nothing for the moment and opening the door more as silently as you could walking out with the rod up and ready for anything.

The hallway was clear so then you take the hallway to the kitchen.

You were thinking that it was a dumb move on your part, hell, that’s how people die in horror movies and here you are doing that exact thing.

So when you walked in and saw what was in your kitchen, you screamed.

Mostly out of shock and surprise, plus a tiny amount of fear pinched in there too.

There was a dude dressed up as Red Robin leaning against your counter trying to stay upright.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting but this sure as hell wasn’t it.

Not that you were complaining or even thinking about complaining because you notice that this dude is bleeding all over.

This is when you snap out of your freaked out daze and put down the shower rod and help the guy out.

”Okay my dude,” You pull him to sit on the stool by the counter. “I need you to sit here for a sec.”

He lets off a weak nod, his breathing very ragged, but you already left to get your first aid kit.

Not even a moment afterwards you come back with it in your hands, putting it on the counter as you pop the case open.

You then move to peel off the armor you slowly process the past couple events.

”Oh geez Tim.” You mutter, starting to disinfect the wounds on the front off his chest.

”Wait a sec, how do you know my name?” He states, stiffening under your touch and he alcohol being rubbed in.

”You my dude, aren’t in Kansas anymore,” You stated bluntly.

”What’s the supposed to mean-” His eyes widen, “Oh crap, Wizard of Oz reference-”

”Means that you aren’t in your universe anymore, I think anyway,” You say, moving on to another open wound.

”Yeah, but how do you know my name? Do you know this universe’s version of me?” He asks, looking at your face.

”Uh no,” You glance up at him, “Not exactly.”

”Then how do you know it?” His eyes narrow slightly, causing you to move your eyes away from his and to the work that you were currently doing.”

”T-That's going to be a lot to explain,” You stutter.

”Well I’m not going anywhere soon so please explain away.”

So you do, and Tim got very weirded out.

Not at you, but the whole “My Life Is a Source Of Entertainment” to this universe and the fact that he wasn’t even real here.

You didn’t blame him, this was also weirding you out to the max.

Like it's not everyday that your fictional crush pops out of nowhere in the middle of your kitchen.

Then there was the reason that he got there in the first place.

Turns out that he was fighting with the rest of his family against a powerful warlock, and they were winning when all of a sudden there was a flash of bright light when he then felt himself falling.

Then the next thing he knew, he landed in someone’s kitchen.

So that leads to where you two were at now, sitting on your couch, as you look through whatever DC comics you owned and showed them to him so he could see what you were talking about.

The two of you spent a couple hours reading through them.

You guys stopped when your yawns were growing large in numbers.

So you help him put the couch together for him to be more comfortable and head to bed.

Either way, you guys progressively got closer as the days pass.

Like you guys became friends very quickly.

Often times he really liked hearing you talk about your life, especially your interests and your opinions on everyone he knows.

Like how if Bruce sees an orphan he’s got to adopt them.

Or how Jason and Damian were complete and utter hotheads but still likeable in their own odd little ways.

But one that kinda rubbed him the wrong way was that you thought that Dick was a ten out of ten in almost everything. (Especially looks.)

He just shrugged it off.

What he did like the most though was that he didn’t need to hide anything from you.

It was all out in the air and it was a freedom that was kind of new for him.

Then the holiday rush really started to hit.

You were originally just going to spend a couple days with your family till after New Years.

Now you weren’t sure what you were going to do.

Eventually you got the idea to invite Tim to go with you to your parents house.

There was only one thing stopping you though.

Would he even want to?

Oh man you didn’t know where you’d put yourself if he said no.

Well, you did finally get the balls to ask him to go with you.

And you thanked whatever god was out there that he accepted.

Quite happily in fact.

So happily that he was smiling from the second you asked him to the moment he got into your car to travel to your parents.

That’s when he got a little jittery.

He wasn’t sure on how your family was going to react to him.

Like did they know about his life in Gotham?

Either way, you tried to help him out in that aspect and told him that he didn’t really have much to worry about, since in your family you were kind of the only one who was into the DC Universe.

But you guys did come up with answers to questions they might ask him.

For example;

”Where are you from Tim?” and his answer would be “I’m from New York.” (Since New York’s nickname was also Gotham and the cities are extremely similar.)

”What does your family do?” then he’d say, “My father is a businessman.” (Extremely vague but this was the only way to make sure there wouldn’t be any brows raised that would insure more questions.)

And, “What’s your major?” now this one he’s got a couple answers for but, “Criminal Science” had to be said. (For obvious reasons.)

The car ride went by pretty smoothly and the next thing you guys know, you’re at your parents house.

Oh the nerves were hitting the both of you pretty hard, but you both hid it as you guys walked inside.

Now your parent’s knew that you guys were coming (You called them beforehand.) but they were very curious about him.

It seriously wasn’t everyday that their daughter brought home somebody for them to not only meet, BUT to also stay over.

It was entirely out of character for you.

And they of course thought that there was something going on between the two of you before even stepping foot in the house.

So to say they were curious would be an understatement.

Your whole damn family was there at your house and everyone wanted to see the boy that you brought along.

All eyes were on you when the two of you walked in, hugs were given with kisses on the cheeks and the questions were flying all over the place.

Your mom though was the first one to greet the two of you, bringing you in for a hug and then going and pulling Tim in one right after, welcoming the two of you.

Tim took it very well, and he felt his nerves starting to go away.

The rest of the evening was spent with the family getting to know him and the same with him.

Your siblings liked him, your little brother especially. (He lowkey wished that Damian was more like this, and less on trying to make his life miserable.)

Your dad though was a little standoffish, and was trying really hard not to like him, like he was answering your dad’s questions with ease. (Plus, when the two of them went for a handshake, he wasn’t expecting Tim’s grip to be that strong.)

And your mom immediately liked him, she got a good vibe from him the moment they met.

The night went by in a series of laughs and good stories, but then it was time for everyone to got to bed.

The thing is all the beds were taken, except or yours.

Now when you realized this, there was a prominent heat on your cheeks.

But of course, the honorable Tim offred to sleep on the floor.

“Yeah you’re not sleeping on the ground, it’s freezing,” you state, lifting the sheets to get in, “plus I’d feel bad.”

He couldn’t argue against that so he went to the other side of you bed and crawled in.

Seeing how stiff he was, you decide to put on cheesy holiday movies on your laptop that you brought.

Putting it between the two of you, you only make it 45 minutes into the movie till you crash out.

Thing is, you were now leaning your head on his shoulder sleeping, and he blushed when he felt you nod off.

His heart was doing somersaults when he saw you sleeping, a warm feeling filling his heart.

So he turned off your computer and fell asleep with an arm wrapped around you holding you close.

After that night, the rest of your break went by in a blur.

Then the next thing you know, you were back at your apartment and life went back to normal.

Well as normal as it could have been with Tim now in the picture.

He was a good sport throughout it all.

But he needed to go home.

You guys did try your best to find a way to get him home, but it became clear that someone from the other side needed to open a portal or something.

So waiting was the only option.

It was taking his family a while though.

Enough to the point where it gave you both a bad feeling.

But you gave at least the Batfam the benefit of the doubt, Tim on the other hand, had thoughts about them forgetting him at the forefront of his mind, even as he tried to push them away.

Life goes on though, and days became weeks, weeks became months, and the next thing you knew it was March and school was eating you alive.

Currently you were in the middle of a APA essay on the couch, with Tim sitting with you, his nose stuffed in his own laptop. (Also working on stuff, but he was listening in on police conversations, old habits die hard.)

But then your roommate walks in from her 7 o'clock class.

Tim notices her pull out her phone, but something was going on with the coms, so he wasn’t paying attention to the sly smirk appearing on her face.

You weren’t paying attention, and one minute you were working on the essay and the next you had the back of a phone shoved in your face.

“And now witness the wild geek in her natural habitat, typing her life away as the rest of her sanity boils out of her blood shot eyes,” Your roommate narrates, trying and failing at doing a nature documentary voice over.

Your eyes narrow, “Bro, what the hell are you-”

“Oh but look,” Then she motions the phone in Tim’s, “There seems to be a male Geek, also having the life being slowly sucked out of him.”

She then turns the camera to face her, “Could it be some odd mating ritual? Or something else?” She lets out a dramatic sigh, “The world may never know-”

You each glanced to each other for a brief moment, and a devious smile crawls on both of your guy’s faces as you both got the same idea at the same moment.

It was lightning fast, the camera almost didn’t get it as you jumped on each other, lips meeting in a frenzy.

Cue your roommate.exe has stopped working and is now having an aneurysm because of h o l y s h i t.

Out of all the things that she thought that you’d do, like maybe throwing her phone across the room on to the other couch, she was not expecting that.

So that is basically how the two of you became a couple.

Funnily enough, though, it was all recorded on Snapchat.

Even funnier that your older sister was friends with her on Snapchat.

You had forgotten that until your phone was ringing and you saw her face on the screen.

Oh man, was she freaking out, she was happy though, if not a maybe a little grossed out. (Ain’t nobody want to see their sister like that.)

Tim could hear the whole conversation as he left the living room with you to your room and he was trying really hard not to laugh.

This was basically how the next few weeks went.

Only now there was the addition of you going and working out with him whenever he trains. (Which was legit almost every day, and your thighs have never started to look so good, but oh my god they were never this painful.)

But in all honesty, you guys were happy, yeah Tim was kinda sad that his family never came for him.

Yet he was grateful that you were there for him, through thick and thin, whenever his mind would go back to Gotham, whenever he’d wake up shaking and heaving from a nightmare, you were there to ground him and remind him that it would all be okay.

However, fate still wanted to make Tim’s life a living hell.

It was a normal day where you got up early to head to your 8 o'clock class, everything was just the same as you sat down, but it all started going to hell when all of a sudden your classroom was filled with a flash of bright light.

Your eyeballs felt like they were fried from how bright it was.

But you could still feel yourself falling.

And you just about felt your soul leave your body from how scared you were.

Thank god that it wasn’t a considerable height that you fell.

Well, it was long enough for you to have a bruise on one whole side of your body while you forgot to breathe for a good couple of moments.

With a groan you lift yourself on your elbows, only to yelp and duck as a piece of metal was thrown over your head.

What. In. The. Actual. Hell.

There were more being thrown in all sorts of directions, and you only realized where you were when you saw a couple dudes in colorful costumes fighting it out with a dude that kept throwing white flashes of light, almost like mini suns.

They even left blotches in your eyes as you watched.

But not only was he throwing fireballs, but he was also throwing random objects, which explained the whole iron beam thing.

They kept going, and from what you realized the Batfam kept going too.

Only until the evil discount Doctor Strange threw a light ball at his feet and then he was gone.

“Damn it!” You heard Batman yell dashing to the sport where the wizard dude was but it was already too late.

“Not this shit again!” You heard the Red Hood yell out.

They were all more agitated now, but they didn’t notice you shakily stand up.

“H-Hey!” You yell out.

They all turn their heads to you, not realizing you were there.

“Y’all need to get your head in the game if we’re going to get Tim back.”

This got their attention.

The next thing you know is that you’re getting whisked away to the Batcave.

Lots of interrogation after that.

Your nerves were fried before, but now you could feel them sizzling in your mind.

So was theirs but you were pissed but how long they waited to get to him.

“It’s been months you assholes!” You let the floodgates open now, “He lies awake at night wondering why you guys haven’t come to find him, he’s been in so much pain since fucking December-”

“Woah Woah Woah,” Jason says, holding his hands up, “It’s only been two weeks, and we’ve been fighting that asshole trying to get Tim back-”

“Dude, we’ve been waiting for like four months,” You say, a voice in a deadpan.

This scared everyone in the conversation.

It even scared you.

Time went faster where you were, and nobody knows how much time has passed.

Now you were feeling horrible about leaving Tim alone.

They all got somber after that.

Conversation died off soon after, but they weren’t on your ass anymore.

Eventually, they all were ready to crash, so they all went upstairs.

Which left you and Alfred, so he offered to take you to a room to let you rest.

And so you followed, anxiety making you not really up for conversation as he led you up and into the manor.

He led you to a room, and it only took you a few seconds to realized that it was Tim’s room.

It was as tidy, with a faint smell of coffee in the air and his laptop still open on his desk.

Alfred had a feeling that you and Tim were closer than what everyone else thought, he only took you there to see if he was right or not.

From the look of your face, he knew that he was right.

“I thought that you would be more comfortable here, it seems as if you and Master Drake were inseparable,”

You smile a little and nod, “We were,”

“Then I can reassure you that we will find him and bring him home,” He smiles for a moment, shutting the door quietly behind him as he leaves.

You didn’t sleep well that night, nor the next night after that or the next.

But you didn’t have to wait long before the wizard showed up again.

They wouldn’t let you go anywhere near the action, but you stayed with Oracle in the cave, so you were able to watch the scene unfold.

At first, it seemed as if they were outmatched, but they were slowly gaining ground, and the Discount Doctor Strange saw this, but before he could set off another portal, Nightwing found an opening to his head and knocked him out with one of his escrima sticks.

It was soon after that the man was taken into custody and soon after that was he getting interrogated by Batman.

But days later, he wasn’t budging.

They were getting desperate, and you were their last option on getting information out of him.

When you walked in and saw his eyebrows raise in surprise everyone knew that they hit something there.

“Surprising that you are here, darling,” You feel your gaze narrow.

“Who are you, and why did you send him away,” You say, voice like steel.

“The question is who are you, and why are you here while he’s there?” His voice was condescending.

“You’re the reason why I’m here, and the dozens of people you’ve displaced from their homes.” (A couple of your classmates were also transported to Gotham, just scattered around the city and were showing up at the GCPD ever since looking for help.)

“Oh but you don’t realize that you have this power as well, I could sense it,” he says, and evil smile revealing his grotesque teeth. “It’s small, but it is there,”

“I don’t have-” He cuts you off.

“Ahh, but you do.” The interrogation did not go much further.

But this did end up with you in the Batcave, trying to see if he was correct.

And for the moment, you were pretty sure the asshole was messing with you.

Much to your embarrassment, as Dick and Damian were also in there with you.

Dick was supportive, but Damian was more annoyed than anything else.

“Why can’t you just suck it up and-” Damian was in the middle of one of his many criticisms, but that was the last straw from you.

“I’m freaking trying goddamnit!” You yell out, throwing your arms out behind you, too much at the moment to actually notice the light surrounding them.

It took a couple of heaving moments to notice the look of shock on Dick’s face and the smugness on Damian’s.

“What?” You ask.

“Um (Y/n), look at your hands,” Dick says pointing.

You do and let out a yelp that was half excitement and half fear.

It then took you a couple minutes to turn it off, and a couple more as you figured out how to turn it back on.

You did this a couple more times, getting the hang of it and making sure that you could control them.

Then it was really time to put it to the test, after bringing the rest of the Batfam down, you open a portal that was big enough to get you though.

You let out a nervous laugh, “Wish me luck, guys.”

“We don’t need to, we already know Tim’s in good hands,” Dick says smiling.

“Bring him home, (Y/N),” Bruce says, hope in his gaze (An emotion rarely is ever seen on his face.)

And so you walk through, light blinding your vision as you step though.

For a couple moments, you blinked away the dark blotches left by the blinding light.

You let out a cry of joy when you realize that you were back in your apartment kitchen.

Dashing out of the room, and onto the hallway, you bump straight into a familiar chest, both your eyes widening at the sight of each other.

“Tim!” You exclaim out of breath, itching to hold him close.

At first, he couldn’t say anything, bringing his hands to your face as if he was making sure that you were real and were right there, whole in front of him. “(Y/N)?”

In less than a second, you guys were on each other, your arms wrapped around his neck, and his around your waist, neither one of you wanting to let go.

“Oh my god, (Y/N), where did you go, it’s been over a week, everyone has been worried sick,” He chokes up a bit against your neck.

“Heh, it’s a long story, but I’m pretty sure you want to hear it.”

You tell him everything that happened in the passed few days for you, and while he listened, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

His family didn’t forget him.

After you finished with your story, Tim filled you in on what was happening while you were gone.

Your family came when they found out what happened in your class, while he and your roommate were doing all they could to figure out how to find you.

You called them after Tim told you, and then you had everyone make it your apartment in almost no time.

You were pretty sure that you were never hugged and questioned more ever in your life.

Everyone stayed late, but eventually, they went to their hotel room for the night.

Then after a long hug from your roommate, she too retired to her room, and finally, both you and Tim were alone.

That was the first night that you too actually slept decently for a while. (After some you know what.)

But then the conversation came up about what the two of you were gonna do.

Tim had to get home, but you had a decision to make on whether you would stay or go with him.

After a lot of talking, you decided that you were going to go with him, but you would take frequent trips too and from so that you can stay in contact with your friends and family.

The next day you let everyone know what the plan was, at first they were hesitant ut they knew you’d be happier with him.

And the next day, you made a portal that took you and Tim back to the Batcave.

Turns out it a day had passed since you’ve gone back so maybe you could control what time you could get to a place, you thought but were interrupted when you and Tim were legit tackled by everyone, including Damian.

Tears were shed, feelings were spared, and a whole lot of love was pouring into the room.

Once everyone had gotten their selves partially together, you reached out for Tim’s hand, your finger’s threading together.

“Welcome home, Hon.” You say, smiling brightly.

Tim’s smile matches yours with a little amusement sneaking through, “Welcome to the DC Universe, Babe.”

#tim drake x reader #tim drake imagine #tim drake headcanon #tim drake imagines #Tim Drake #red robin x reader #red robin imagine #red robin headcanon #Red Robin #DC Headcanon #dc imagine #DC comics #dc comics imagine #dc #robin #robin headcanon #robin x reader

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riddlemethiswilliam · 6 years ago

Text

21 Questions Tag I was tagged by @ignorantstrawberry

who’s ready for some unsolicited random facts?! :D

RULES: answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people you want to get to know better!

NICKNAME: Z, Smokey, Rita Baker, O'Keefe

ZODIAC: Taurus all day, BBY. Stubborn af.

HEIGHT: 5'5 AND 3/4. The 3/4 MATTERS, OKAY?

LAST MOVIE I SAW: Next Friday. A classic, but never as good as the OG. 😏 They call me Smokey for a reason.

LAST THING I GOOGLED: “Spas near me.”

I thought it would be nice to treat my bf to a couples massage because he’s never had one. He’s such a great, hardworking guy, he deserves all of the good things in life. It’s a surprise tho, so SHH! 😒

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Of all time? Tyler Joseph. Today? Billy Eilish.

SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: Chamber of Reflection by Mac De’Marco. My bf got me on that good shit.

OTHER BLOGS: I have two others. @emptybarrels, but I simply post there then delete what I write. And my RP blog which is none of your damn business. 😘

DO I GET ASKS: Never, this is fun!! No one ever gives a shit about what I have to say 😩🤣

BLOGS FOLLOWING: A lot? Honestly, I’m not trying to close out this post just to go find out. Sorry y’all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

UPDATE: I had to save this post as a draft to find out who I wanted to tag, so I checked. It’s 556. So that’s like what? 6 real blogs and 550 porn bots? 😩

AMOUNT OF 💤: to be happy? 10-13 hours. On an average daily basis? 4-6.

LUCKY NUMBER: 2. Or whatever random number feels right in the moment if two isn’t satisfying me.

WHAT IM WEARING: skinny jeans, a red tank top, a thin navy blue hoodie thingy with a giant white anchor on the front. Grey sneakers. Ponytail. DESIGNER MISERY by Life. DEPRESSION by my experiences. ANXIETY by my fuckin brain. And BPD thanks to my generous genes.

DREAM JOB: I’d be a famous film and theater writer/director, and I’d simultaneously be a creative photographer, and a 1st AC. 😍😍😍😍😍 Mannnn , I would wake up happy to go to work everyday!!!

DREAM TRIP: Take me back to Edinburgh, Scotland, please!!! I need to be at the Fringe Festival. Being in the midst of so much art and theatre gave me life like only being next to my babe can bring.

FAVORITE FOOD: three way tie between Menudo, Chicken Fettecuni Alfredo, and Tortas, bruhhhh 😍😍😍 with a blunt beforehand to get me prepared. Shittttt.

PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS: Trumpet, Bass, and I sing poorly but loudly.

LANGUAGES: English, Spanish, some ASL. Side note! I used to know enough Czech to talk and flirt because I learned it for this boy in college, but he didn’t care and my talents went unnoticed, so I never bothered speaking it again. It pretty much all melted away in my brain.

FAVORITE SONGS: Why are you doing this to me? I thought this was supposed to be fun??? 😅 Uhhh.

A card, A torch, A death

Isle of flightless birds

Kitchen Sink

Neon Gravestones- Twenty One Pilots.

Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Saturday- Fall Out Boy

When I hear Music - Debbie Deb

RANDOM FACT: Most people think I’m pretty normal, if not extremely confident, but I consider myself pretty fucked up and reserved thanks to my personality disorder that I managed to hide so frighteningly well.

DESCRIBE YOUR AESTHETIC: “Never what you expect.” 😉😏 Go ahead, try to put me in a box. The sweetest gift I ever got from Borderline Personality Disorder was my ability to flow from aesthetic to aesthetic, to mold myself into who I want to be. If I were an X-Men, I’d be Rougue. Untouchable, willing to suck the life out of you, and also adopt all of your traits and skills at touch.

I tag @songbirds-sweet, annnnd,

@art-ium,

@bixbyuniversal, @paramonsterwhocoldplayswithfob,

@undeniably-recklesss

Thanks @ignorantstrawberry !!

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mygrandmathinksimsassy · 7 years ago

Note

Maddie, I need kindergarten/daycare teacher Ben Solo in my life like I need Adam in a brocade dinner jacket.

(This was initially going to be a prompt fill and now it’s a whole thing that I’ll be posting to AO3)

“You’re a teacher?”

Ben doesn’t look like a teacher. At least not like any teacher Rey has ever had.

Finn covered her halfof rent last month.

Rey thought she’d havegot a research job by now, or at the very least, an internship she could dopart-time while working somewhere else for what would hopefully be more thanminimum wage. She doesn’t need a career just yet, just something that looksdecent enough to talk about if she ends up getting any interviews for any ofthe schools that have asked for secondary applications, but apparently that isasking too much.

It’s taking a bit toolong to get hired.

Finn might have tohelp with the next month too.

–

She owes him one. Sheowes him thousands of times for everything he’s done for her since they satnext to each other in that physics class he ended up dropping when he decidedpre-med was not for him, but she definitely owes him at least one.

Finn has been teachingfor about a month now, at the ritzy elementary school on the other side oftown, the one that looks like something out of a movie. It’s the sort of placeshe would have killed to go to as a kid, a place where they send thesixth-graders to a wilderness camp every year and the textbooks were written inthe past decade.

It’s the kind ofschool that has enough money to throw a carnival to welcome back theirstudents.

The kind of carnivalthat apparently needs volunteers.

–

It’s eight on a Fridaynight. Finn has been passing out by nine every night since he’s started, wornout from keeping up with a class of thirty third graders, but he’s wide awakeright now.

Apparently, it’s timeto collect.

“I don’t think I’mqualified to run a first aid tent.“

The Great British Bake-Off drones on in the background when Finn asks herto fill in for a parent volunteer who dropped out the night before. If shemisses Mary Berry complain about a “soggy bottom,” then that defeats the entirepoint of the drinking game she found when drafting cover letters got a bit toooverwhelming.

“It’s not like you’regoing to have to operate on anyone,” Finn says. “We just need a warm body tohand out band-aids. You can say it’s clinical experience. It’ll look good onyour resume.”

Someone ends updropping their cake, a confection that looks nothing like the tastefulillustration they had been shown at the beginning of the episode. and they bothreach for their glasses of the cheapest wine she could find at Target.

“I will pay you infriendship- “

“We’re already friends.”

“Then I will also payyou in takeout afterward,” Finn tells her. “Whatever you want. My treat.”

“Indian food or I’ll quit.”

“Whatever you want.”

She was always going to say yes. Finn knows that. She knows that.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the bribe.

“Fine,” she says. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank god.” Finn letsout a sigh and sinks back against the couch they found on the side of the roadwhen the college kids moved out of their apartments at the end of the schoolyear.

It’s still a prettydecent couch. It hardly looks like it came from the street.

“I already signedyou up.”

–

The school Finnteaches at is nice.

Like really nice.

Nice enough where shefeels bad for showing up in jeans and a t-shirt that she got from doing a 10k afew years back.

The moms are allwearing Lilly Pulitzer in shades that run the gamut from aqua to lavender. Afew of the more daring ones are in green. All of them have blow outs and roundsunglasses perched on their heads complete with iced coffees that seemed gluedto the inside of their hands.

The dads are all inthe same light blue button down tucked into the same pair of khakis. It’s likethey all agreed on a uniform beforehand and she pities any kids who get losttoday because they are going to have a hell of a time.

She follows Finn througha balloon archway toward a makeshift fairground covered in orange and bluedecorations. A handful of kids wave to him when Finn makes it onto the campus,calling out his name like he’s a rock star trying to make it out of an airport.They are all thrilled when he waves back at them and it’s worth it to volunteereven if it’s just to see how happy Finn is now that he’s in his element.

There are roughly ahundred different booths with different carnival games and kids already liningup to win stuffed animals and way too much candy.

It might be the bestparty she’s ever been to.

–

The first aid tent ison the corner of the makeshift fair grounds, just across from a ring toss gameand right by where someone is setting up a popcorn maker.

The department chairFinn works with, a swanlike woman named Amilyn, is already waiting. She’s got ahead of pink hair with a matching pink stud in her nose and a maxi dressunderneath a flowy rust-colored cardigan. There are Birkenstocks peeking outunderneath the hem of her dress with pink leather straps, ones that lookwell-worn like she’s been holding onto them since Lilith fair.

There was a car in theteacher’s parking lot covered in political bumper stickers urging passersby to“Coexist.”

One guess as to whoseit was.

"You must beRey,” she says. There’s a unicorn already painted onto her face, but somehow,she makes it work. “Finn has told me so much about you. I feel like I knowyou already.”

She must look panickedat the notoriety because Amilyn smiles in an almost maternal way.

“Only good things,”she tells her. “Let’s get you set up.”

Rey is given a firstaid kit with plenty of band-aids and a cooler filled with water bottles andjuice. There are two folding chairs with “Chandrila Elementary” embroidered inblue fabric on the back and a little trash can just behind the table.

“If you need anything,I’ll be at the face painting booth pretending I know how to draw.” Amilyn givesthe tent a once-over. “Seriously, don’t hesitate to let me know if you needanything.”

“It’s ok,” Rey tellsher. “I’ll be fine.”

When Amilyn leaves thetent, it looks like she’s gliding.

The DJ- the schoolseriously hired a DJ-is playing a “Hey Ya!” at a volume so loud that Rey canbarely hear herself think. There is no chance any of these kids know whatsong is playing, but that doesn’t stop them from dancing. They’re all too youngto care about how they look, dancing just because there is music and because itseems fun, and she lets herself focus on something other than waiting for anyof the places she’s applied to call her back.

It’ll be ok.

If it’s not, there’sonly six hours to go.

–

Running the first aidtent isn’t that bad. Definitely worth the promise of as much takeout Finn iswilling to put on his credit card.

A handful of kids comein with banged up knees from falling on the black top, in need of bandages andjuice boxes before they’re ready to get back to the fun. They’re allsurprisingly well-behaved, all saying please and thank you without anyprompting from the parents who all seem way more worried than they do.

One of the moms stopsby and asks if she has anything for a migraine. When she offers up an Advil- byfar the strongest thing she has- the mom reluctantly accepts.

It’s pleasant. Boring.

Until one of the dadsstops by.

He definitely doesn’tlook the other dads.

For one thing, he’ssoaking wet. His dark hair is dripping, but still long enough to reach where acollar would be and the shirt he’s wearing- a bright orange monstrosity withthe words “Chandrila Coyotes” emblazoned on the front- sticks to his chest. Hischest is broad- big in a way that makes her think he must spend every freemoment in the gym- and she can pretty much see all of it with just how wet heis. His arms look like they might burst through the fabric. She can only hopeshe’s there when they do.

Instead of khakis,he’s in black swim trunks that cling to his thighs. His surprisingly muscularthighs.

The swim trunks clingto other parts too. They are doing an excellent job.

The only thing thatmakes him seem remotely mortal, is just how horrible the color contrast is. Helooks like he’s some sort of walking billboard for Halloween who wanted tostart the ad campaign about two months early, but she finds it in herself toforgive him for the misstep.

He’s definitelydifferent from the other dads.

She tries not tostare, but she must be staring, because it’s like she’s forgotten how to speakuntil he clears his throat.

“I cut my arm onsomething.“

He has a nice voice.Deep. The sort of voice people would pay good money to have narrate a naturedocumentary.

She remembers just howwords work and then promptly embarrasses herself.

“Is that how you gotcovered in water?”

“It was my shift inthe dunk tank.” He says this like a dunk tank was the obvious answer, but she’snever really spent much time around kids, so it might very well be. “Someasshole sixth grader spent ten dollars trying to knock me in.”

“I thought that wasthe whole point of a dunk tank.”

He looks at her withexasperation, practically rolling his eyes, and she shrugs her shouldersbecause it’s the only thing she can think to do.

“Can you just look atmy cut?”

She motions to thefree chair and her mystery patient takes a seat. He is too big for the chair,the same way he’s too big for his shirt, and when he holds up his forearm forher to inspect, it’s a wonder she can actually focus on the cut.

He is wet, but whenshe takes his arm, he’s warm.

The cut isn’t too bad-nothing that won’t heal in a couple of days so long as he doesn’t pick at it-but it’s the most blood she’s seen all day, so she can’t really fault him forcoming by. She lets the evaluation take longer than it needs to be, studyingthe muscle in his arm before glancing down at his hands.

He has nice hands,this mystery DILF, big hands that might be larger than her face. There isn’t aring on his finger and she didn’t think she was at that point yet, to ogle strangemen and wonder if they’re married, but apparently, she is. It’s a realizationthat makes her feel a little old, but she doesn’t have enough time to dwell onit when he speaks again.

“What’s the prognosis,doc?”

“I’m not entirelysure,” she says. She’s still holding onto his arm, but he doesn’t pull away, soshe keeps holding on. “But I think it’ll have to come off.”

He smiles at that,revealing teeth that are big and white and imperfect. His eyes crinkle up allsmall and she is so pleased with herself, so pleased to have earned this smile,that she can barely stand it.

“I figured as much.”His voice is completely dead pan when his face fades back into an exasperatedneutrality. “Just give me some whiskey and a stick to bite on and we’re good toamputate.”

“I don’t have anybooze with me.”

“That’s a shame.”Mystery DILF lets out a melodramatic sigh, but his lips still curl up at theends, the ghost of a smile. “I’ll just settle for gangrene.”

She smiles before shereaches into the first-aid kit and pulls out a fresh baby wipe to mop up theblood.

Mystery DILF watchesher when she cleans his cut, in a way that makes her acutely aware ofeverything that she’s doing, every brush of the wipe against his muscularforearm, every time she sucks in a breath. The way he looks at her makes timeslow down somehow, until the dulcet tones of “Gangnam Style” blaring in thebackground fade completely away.

It’s overwhelming, notin a bad way, just overwhelming and so she tries to make conversation becauseit feels like she might float off the ground.

“How old are yourkids?”

“I don’t have any kids,”he scoffs. “I work here.”

“You’re a teacher?”

He doesn’t look like ateacher. At least not like any teacher she’s ever had.

“Would I be at anelementary school carnival if I weren’t?” Mystery not-DILF says. “I’m herebecause I have to be. Trust me, I have better things to do.”

He hasn’t beenbleeding for a few minutes now, but she can’t stop touching his arm.

“Most people likecarnivals.”

“Most people don’thave to deal with parents bugging them the entire time,” he says. “We’ve onlyhad two weeks of classes and I already have at least five different peopleasking about their kid’s college readiness. It just starts earlier eachyear.“

“What grade do youteach?”

She’s thinking sixthgrade. It’s a nice image, the thought of him unraveling the mysteries of theancient world, using his deep voice to introduce kids to the classics.

��Kindergarten.”

“Bullshit.”

She snorts, and helooks like she slapped him.

“It’s notbullshit,” he says. “I promise.”

“You don’t seem like akindergarten teacher.” She struggles to find the right word for what she’strying to convey, to reconcile the thought of this man with his broad shouldersand deadpan expression surrounded by screaming kids that just barely come uppast his knee. “Kindergarten teachers are supposed to be…”

“Supposed to bewomen?” He says with a smug expression. “I get that a lot.”

“That’s not what I wasgoing to say.”

“What was it then?” Heraises his eyebrows expectantly. “Enlighten me, doctor.”

“They are supposed tobe nice.”

“I happen to bevery nice.”

“I don’t know,” shesays with a shrug. “You just called a kid an asshole like five minutes ago.”

“I’ve known that kidsince he was five. I know for a fact that he is an asshole,” he tells her.“That doesn’t mean I’m not nice.”

He doesn’t seem like amean person, but she doubts that this man is nice.

Nice men don’t wearshirts that cling to every muscle. Nice men don’t look like him.

“How did you end upworking the first aid tent in the first place?” He asks. “You just decided tobe a Good Samaritan for the day?”

“My roommate just startedworking here last month,” Rey tells him. “He guilted me into volunteeringbecause he knew that I didn’t have anything better to do.”

“Who’s your roommate?”

“Finn Abejide,” shetells him. “He’s teaching third grade.”

“I know who he is,”the guys says. “I didn’t know he had a roommate.”

He says this likehaving a roommate is some grand revelation. Which is bullshit.

Lots of people have roommates.

“Well now youdo.”

She lifts the secondbaby wipe from his arm and reluctantly lets go.

“What type of band-aid do you want?”

“Surprise me.”

She chooses two of thebandages from the most sparkly of the boxes she’s been provided.

Not because she thinkshe’ll be embarrassed. If he chose to wear that shirt, then he’s definitely pastthe point of embarrassment. But because it amuses her. Because the quickershe picks out a band-aid, the quicker she can get back to touching him.

She gently adheres theband-aids- purple ones with horses printed all over- and he smirks when helooks down.

“Twilight Sparkle,” hesays. “Excellent choice”

“How do you know MyLittle Pony?” She zips up the first-aid kit. “They’re a little after your time.”

“I spend most of myweek with five-year olds,” he says. “I have forgotten more about My Little Ponythan most people will ever know.”

He leans back in hischair and there’s no real reason for him to stay- he’s no longer bleeding andhe’s all patched up, so she uses the only tool left at her disposal.

“Do you want ajuice box?” She reaches into the cooler, fishing for what’s left of herhaul. “I’ve been giving them to every patient.”

"Sure,” he says. “Whynot?”

She hands one to him.When he takes it, his fingers brush against hers.

His hands are way toobig for the juice box-it’s meant for someone tiny and everything about him ishuge- and when he jams the straw in, a few droplets splatter on her shirt.

“Sorry about that,” hesays sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to get you wet.”

He realizes what he’sjust said just about when she realizes it.

His mouth gets allsmall like he just sucked on a lemon and she is not blushing, why would she beblushing. That would be stupid.

The silence that hangsbetween them is almost painful. The conversation that follows is even worse.

"This is good juice.”

"It came with thetent.”

“Still goodthough.”

He finishes the juicebox in another lengthy sip. When he’s done, he crumples it into a ball and aimsfor the little recycling bin in the corner. The crumpled juice box landswith a thud.

When he stands up fromhis chair, she has to crane her neck up just to take him all in.

"I’ll see youaround.”

He leaves her with anod, the sort of stilted one guys use to greet each other on the street, andshe nods right back.

It’s only after he’sgone that she realizes she never got his name

–

The booth is prettymuch dead for the rest of the day and so she watches the ring toss game sinceher phone is essentially dead.

A little boy, probablykindergarten age but there’s no way she really can tell has spent the lastthirty minutes trying to win a stuffed animal. His aim is terrible, bad enoughwhere half the rings land on the ground, and she can hear the beginnings of atantrum when her Patient Zero swoops in.

He’s basically tallerthan the booth so it doesn’t take him that long to land all three rings on thebottles set up behind the partition. The woman behind the booth hands him astuffed animal alligator and then he crouches down so he’s eye level to thekid.

He hands the alligatorto the kid- a dark haired little boy with skinned knees- and the boy sweeps himinto a hug. Her patient hugs right back and she looks away when he catches herwatching.

–

She looks for him whenthey walk back to Finn’s car, hoping to get a name or maybe even another smile.

But Patient Zero isalready gone when they leave

–

Finn buys enoughtakeout to last them through the weekend.

"I promise Ididn’t mean to abandon you-“ Finn opens one of the containers and the smell ofsamosas fills the air. Her stomach rumbles like she’s just remembering thatshe’s hungry and she looks forward to the food coma that is sure to come. “-Ihad to convince like twenty of my kids to ask for balloon animal snakes becauseI couldn’t figure out how to make anything else.”

"It’s alright.”She spoons half the Chana Masala onto her plate. It might the happiest she’sever been to see a chickpea. "One of the teachers got hurt so we hung outfor a bit.

"Who wasit?”

“I don’t know,” shesays. “A guy teacher.”

“Was it Mr. Yoda?”Finn asks hopefully “Because I want him to be my grandpa. I will give him theadoption papers to sign if I ever figure out his first name.“

"This guy wasn’treally grandpa age.” Her mouth is still half full. "I didn’t get his name.He was a kindergarten teacher. Tall.”

“Are you talkingabout Ben Solo?"

“You know I don’t knowwho that is.”

"You would knowwho he is. He’s a dick.” She studies each portion of the last samosa beforefinally taking the one that’s about three millimeters thicker. Finn pops theother half in his mouth but that doesn’t stop him from ranting. “He’s the onlyguy even close to our age and I think he’s said like three words to me since Istarted. I literally have not seen him talking to another adult. It’slike he’s made it his mission in life not to make any friends.”

"I don’t know.”

She reaches for thelast samosa and thinks about the man who won a crying kid a toy.

“Heseemed nice.”

#reylo ficlet #reylo fanfiction #reylo fic #rey of jakku #kylo ren #ben solo #rey x kylo x hux #rey x ben solo #teacher!AU #this is my life now #let me know what you think #because this might be a multi-chapter opus #jadeddiva #reylo prompt fill

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fatathlon · 6 years ago

Text

Triathlon #2!

My second sprint triathlon was a solo endeavor. The family was tied up doing other things, and the race was about an hour and a half from home, so I didn’t have anyone coming out to see me race.

I was kind of okay with that, for this one. So much of triathlon training is done in isolation, and my plan was to look at this race as a hard training session for my 3rd race at the end of the summer. so it kind of fit.

I prepped my gear at home, wandering about in the same fog that settled over me the day before the first race. I felt incredibly tired, as if my body knew what was coming and was trying to get all the rest it could beforehand. It probably was.

The drive down was fantastic, taking me though the mountains on some roads I’d never seen before. The race was taking place at a state park with a campground, so I had reserved myself one of the very last tent sites and borrowed a backpacking tent from a friend (our family tent was too large for me to want to deal with). I planned to head down in the late afternoon, set up camp, drive the course, get some dinner and have a relaxing, solitary night camping outdoors. When I woke up, I’d already be at the race site.

That’s pretty much how it went, too. I set up camp without trouble, then was able to drive the bike course (which included the run course), pulling back into the campground just as it was getting dark. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found -- it was a 14-mile loop that was downhill or flat for the first 75% of the ride. There was one significant climb, but it wasn’t anything I was afraid of, having done a lot of climbing in my training over the summer. Then a flat run into T2. The run was on the same course, with some slight rolling hills.

I picked up dinner at the local store, as well as some fuel for the next morning, and after a small fire at my campsite and a few minutes reading, I went to bed.

The next morning I woke up feeling pretty good. I had slept well, which was good considering the extra variables that camping can potentially throw at you. After my morning routine, I suited up, got my transition gear on my back (in a backpack this time!) and rolled over to check-in.

The scene for the swim was amazing. I couldn’t imagine a much more beautiful place to do a swim.

After I got set up in the transition area, which was quite crowded, I wandered around the beach playing the “age game.” Everyone had their ages put on their calves at body marking, so I would look at a person and mentally guess their age, then look at their calf to see how close I was. It was awesome to see so many people, particularly older people, in amazing shape. And plenty of others working hard on it. That’s one thing I’ve found about going to these events -- the atmosphere is pretty inspiring. It always feels like a pretty good crowd to be hanging out in.

Swim

600 yd Distance

12:14 Duration

2:02/100 yd

The swim was a wave start from the beach. It proved to be a much better swim than my first race, in terms of the crowd. The swimmers spread out quicker and I wasn’t really fighting anyone for space the whole way. There were people close enough to me that I could have drafted if I had that skill in my playbook, but as of this point I’m still learning how to just get the swim done, so I just focused on what I was doing and tried to keep my rhythm. I came out of the water feeling less tired than I did during my first triathlon, and felt ready for the bike.

The transition run was short, just up the grassy lawn from the beach. I had no trouble getting into the area and locating my machine.

Bike

13.94 mi Distance

39:50 Moving Time

621 ft Elevation

Avg Speed 21.0 mi/hr

Max Speed 40.7 mi/hr

As expected, the ride was a blast. I was able to keep a pretty high speed up for most of it, especially down a couple of big hills where my weight went to work for me. I passed a bunch of people without even really trying, letting gravity and inertia do a lot of the effort, and at the halfway mark I still felt very fresh and prepared to attack the hill.

I kept it steady on the climb, focusing mostly on my cadence and trying to keep my spin rate up. I didn’t want to sprint it, but I didn’t want to go too easy, either. I felt like I hit the right mark, especially as I caught a couple of people in my age group on the way. One or two superstars with full aero gear passed me on their way to the second lap of the Olympic distance course. I did my best to remind my brain that they were not my competitors; nobody was, in fact. Just myself.

I crested the hill and then cruised the last two or so miles on the flats around the back side of the lake back to the transition area. No troubles again on transition; just racked my bike, switched my shoes and headed out.

Run

3.10 mi Distance

27:47 Duration

8:58/mi Pace

I was able to shake the jelly legs at about a mile, and then felt like I had my feet back under me. I found that the small climbs and descents on the run course really helped; working against a little elevation seemed to clear out the dead feelings somehow. I did get passed by a few people I had caught on the bike, but I was expecting that, knowing that running is probably my weakest discipline. I kept at it and was able to finish feeling pretty strong. For my current state of training, my final pace was really fast.

Results were posted live on a screen next to the transition area, so it wasn’t long before I was able to see how I did. I was expecting to see something like my first race, but was pleasantly surprised to see my name considerably higher in the standings - with my overall time of 1:23:52.5, I finished 4th in my age group, and 26th overall out of 166! Later, the results sheet was revised to remove the top 5 finishers out of their respective age categories, leaving me 2nd in my age group! My transition times improved over my first race, at 2:14 and 1:25. The results also confirmed my internal convictions that the bike is my jam, especially when there are downhills: I had the 12th fastest bike ride of the day.

After picking up my race shirt and watching some more folks finish, I went back to pack up my campsite and drive home. I felt satisfied and very happy with what I had accomplished. I was already looking forward to the next one.

#triathlon #triathlon training #tri training #race report #camping #swimbikerun

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scruffyhappaboreherder · 7 years ago

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Modern AU. Cassian is the skip (captain) of a curling team; Jyn owns and runs a clothing store, and also makes custom athleticwear. Leia works for the US Olympic Committee and ... is dealing with a lot that’s not directly addressed here.

May the 4th be with you, @doptimous! The prompt was “sweet talk/flirting”, but this sort of got away from me and turned into something with more background and leadup than talking. Still, I have a few ideas for other things they might say to eachother, and if/when I post the followups I’ll tag you. :) I stole the title from a Rush song. I don’t think there is really much that would require a warning in here? Oh, and while this is brought to you partly by my quadrennial ritual of getting obsessed with curling, you don’t really need to know anything other than the fact that it’s a sport to read this. --- Carve Away the Stone

"Jyn, come on." Leia leaned against the doorframe. Jyn pretended to ignore her as she bent over her sewing machine and guided the fabric so that the needle would flow along its appointed course. "I could really use some bodies at the curling club benefit auction tonight. If you come, you can meet up with whoever bids on your donation. Saves time on going back and forth that way."

"Leia, this was due yesterday. Do you really think I'd be here on Saturday morning if it weren't important? And once I'm done, I have plans to go home and curl up with my cat and tea and maybe a book."

"Do you think I'd be here nagging you if it weren't urgent?" Leia countered. "You can walk to the firehall from here. Or from your apartment."

Jyn closed her eyes and took her foot off the pedal. "If I get this finished and mailed, and have time to clean up beforehand, I'll be there."

"Good. Do me a favor and put it on your social media, would you?"

"It's not exactly on brand." Either brand, Jyn thought. Not for the vintage/thrift/hippie chic store she ran, and not for her over-the-internet custom athleticwear business.

"Your personal social media, then. And you can always come as you are. Baggy sweater and sweatpants isn't too far off what people wear to curling practice."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Her business was appearance-oriented; she couldn't appear in public looking like a college student coming off an all-nighter.

"Raid the shop, then." She waved toward the sales floor, and broke into song. "It doesn't matter what you wear, just as long as you are there."

Jyn groaned. "Leave, before I get tempted to stop working and pull the security footage and put that on my social media."

Leia smirked. "And risk missing the pickup deadline to get that on its way? See you at seven."

Jyn huffed and turned back to her sewing machine. "Lock the door behind you."

---

She finished the kit, packed it up, and printed a label. She quickened her pace when she saw a familiar figure unlocking the drop box and reaching in to collect the packages.

"Hey, Jyn," said Bodhi. He held out his hand for the box, and she handed it over. "How's it going?"

She shrugged. "If I never see chartreuse and orange and hot pink together again, it will be too soon. But at least this is finally done."

Bodhi winced. "Glad it's in a box. The risk of sudden-onset blindness sounds pretty high."

She pulled off a mitten and pretended to fling it him. "My work is always tasteful and lovely. Except when the client wants something hideous. Either way, I deliver."

Bodhi smiled a little. "Leia told me you would probably have something ready when I was doing drop-offs there, and asked me to stop by your shop."

Jyn sighed. "And to remind me to come to her benefit auction while I was there?"

"Yep."

Jyn scowled. "I said I'd be there if I could; she doesn't need to draft everyone in sight to remind me, too."

Bodhi nodded. "I told her that."

"Thanks for having my back. Hey, on that note, want to come with me to this thing tonight?"

He looked hesitant. "Where is it again?"

"The firehall. As Leia reminded me when she showed up to twist my arm, we can walk." Bodhi was her upstairs neighbor, in addition to being the area UPS guy.

"Okay. I can do that."

Jyn nodded approval. They'd been to the firehall a lot, sitting on either side of Bodhi's mom and watching her play bingo, starting when they were barely old enough to walk. It was familiar territory. "I'll come by at 6:30. That okay?"

"Sure," said Bodhi. "I should be home by then."

"Good. See you." She punched his shoulder lightly and retraced her steps, heading for the side street her apartment building was on. She tried and failed to stifle an enormous yawn. Well, she had a few hours to catch up on her sleep.

Wearily, she climbed the steps and let herself in. She leaned against the door and let Toast twine around her ankles and meow plaintively, then knelt and scooped him up and carried him to the kitchen.

"Yes, I left you by yourself overnight, yes, you're so neglected, I know," she murmured to the cat, who was purring now. She glanced at the autofeeder: the food and water dishes were fine. She shifted Toast to one arm, checked the litter box in the bathroom, and set him down while she cleaned it. Then she washed her hands, made tea, and finally allowed herself to sprawl on the couch and let her aching muscles relax. Toast jumped onto the couch and curled up next to her, and she patted the tan splotches on his side absently. "Just going to close my eyes for a few minutes," she told the cat.

The darkness was soothing, a relief after hours of staring at lurid colors under strong lights. She fell into it gratefully.

---

She was in a garden, lying on a chaise longue. Several cartoonishly round bees buzzed in and out of the rosebushes. The sun shone warmly on her face, and—

Jyn came back to reality with am abrupt jolt. Toast was sprawled on her torso, purring softly. And her phone was buzzing on the table.

She cursed and snatched it. It was Bodhi, of course, asking if everything was all right. She was already 15 minutes late.

She dislodged Toast and stood up, and dashed into her bedroom to stare at the closet. The green shirt-dress with the diagonal hem, she decided, and leggings with a Christmas candy pattern. She shoved her feet into green Docs and ran out her door and upstairs to knock on Bodhi's.

"Still game?" she asked when he opened the door. He nodded. "Want to drive?"

"Sure." Bodhi grabbed his coat and keys and shut the door behind him. He followed her to the front door, and then led the way to his boxy grey Honda.

Jyn rested her head against the window and watched the street lights pass by until they found a parking spot a couple blocks away from the firehall. She climbed out and waited for Bodhi to lock up. And while she was leaning against the car a truck with a snowplow rumbled down the street and splashed her from shoulder to ankle with grey slushy snow.

Bodhi turned to see why she wasn't coming, or maybe because of the reflexive horrified noise she made. "Oh my God—" he stammered. He popped the trunk, darted to it, and handed her a blanket. "I can, I can drive you to the shop, or back home, or—"

"Forget it," Jyn said ruthlessly. She used the blanket to scrub away the residue that hadn't already fallen to the ground. The wet spots on her dress would dry eventually. The tights were probably a loss, and she irritably managed the process of balancing in the snow as she took them off. She tossed the tights and the blanket into Bodhi's trunk, and slammed it shut. "Come on. Let's go."

Bodhi nodded resolutely and fell into step beside her on the sidewalk. Jyn watched balefully out of the corner of her eye, but there was no sign of further snow-plow activity. A block to the corner and another to the firehall; they walked past the engine house and made for the hall's front entrance. They could see the light through the glass doors; Jyn took a deep breath and yanked the door open.

As soon as they were inside, they were hit with a wave of noise. Against the far wall, a mock curling lane had been set up, and people in tracksuits were demonstrating shooting techniques. But most of the attendees were seated at tables or in line at the concession stand or the cash bar. There were only a few people looking at the silent auction table; she caught Bodhi's eye and nodded in that direction.

"Might as well see what I'm in for," she muttered. "If I'm lucky no one will be interested, and I can go back home and sleep and write all of this off as a bad dream." She looked down at the clipboard that had her business card stapled to the bid sheet. "Or not. What the hell is Team Andor?"

"He is," Leia said from behind her; Jyn tensed and successfully fought down the urge to jump. She pointed at the curling lane. "The one with dark hair showing the kids how you launch a rock."

Jyn groaned. "Oh no. You cannot be serious." She turned to face Leia.

Leia raised her eyebrows. "What were you expecting, Johnny Mac? It's a curling fundraiser."

"I was expecting someone to go for the gift cert. Or, worst case scenario, someone wanting an insanely frilly wedding dress and having to be talked down."

"I'm sure I could round up someone who needs a wedding dress." Leia smirked. "But seriously, Jyn, it's half a dozen hot guys, or at least decent-looking guys you'll get to poke and prod while you measure them. What's the problem?"

Jyn sighed heavily. "So this is about you not being satisfied with my love life, again? Leia, it's fine. And obtaining someone's measurements is not nearly as sexy as whatever you're picturing. I'm a professional."

Leia frowned at Bodhi, who had disappointed her by not, as she put it, spicing up Jyn's life with some romance. Jyn caught Bodhi's eye to reassure him that she was biting her tongue, the way she did every time when Leia was on this topic, to keep from pointing out that Bodhi had had a brief fling with her dad. We get along so well because we're both graduates of the Galen Erso School of Emotional Fuckery, Leia. Come on. You're smart. Figure it out.

Leia shrugged. "You can't blame me for trying. But seriously, what's the big deal?"

Jyn glanced around at the hall full of boisterous curling enthusiasts and their friends and family members. "Tell you about it later, maybe. Let's just say that you owe me. Especially if you encouraged this guy to bid on my donation."

"Is there a problem?"

Jyn spun. Of course it was the dark-haired guy Leia had pointed out. She met his eyes. "Leia and I are very old friends," she told him, keeping her tone even. "We tease eachother a lot." She held out her hand. "I'm Jyn Erso."

"Cassian Andor."

His hand was warm and dry and strong. Jyn pulled her own away gently, and reached into her purse, not caring if anyone noticed the muck splatters on it. At least the contents had stayed dry. She drew out a business card and offered it to him. "When you're ready to talk about what you'd like, feel free to get in touch."

He nodded and tucked the business card into a pocket without looking at it. "Would you like to come and see our practice sheet? It might be helpful."

Jyn opened her mouth to refuse politely, but Leia said ruthlessly, "Yes, Jyn, you should go see it. It's an interesting use of materials. And hey, Bodhi, I wanted to make sure you saw Maz Kanata's listing. She donated some of Emmie's homemade yarn, and it is amazingly soft. There's a sample, come on."

"Uh," Bodhi stammered. "I would like to see it. But. Maybe later." He took a breath and straightened his shoulders, and Jyn gave him a quick grateful smile. She knew that would be a difficult temptation to resist under ordinary circumstances—he'd take up knitting to as a relaxation aid and loved the feeling of soft natural yarns—but to do so and reject an obvious social cue had to be making him feel like his anxiety was eating him from the inside out.

Jyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Prospective client, even if you would rather he weren't. Do not fly off the handle. She met his eyes; they were dark but they shone like searchlights from his skeptical, serious face. "Mr. Andor, I've made kit for athletes of all sorts, from tennis players to bowling teams. I have a wide knowledge of what athletes need in terms of movement and comfort, and I'm not completely unacquainted with curling. You have my card. When you're ready to discuss your requirements with me, you know how to get in touch." She inclined her head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would also like to see that yarn."

She captured Bodhi's arm and towed him away. Conveniently, the yarn was at the very opposite end of the table. "Thanks," she muttered. "Sorry." She let go of his arm.

Bodhi shook his head. "Sometimes I think you and Leia trying to be friends again is going to kill me. If you don't kill eachother first."

Jyn grimaced. "It won't come to that. But I'll stop twisting your arm to make you come with me. It isn't fair."

Bodhi shrugged, and picked up the yarn sample. His eyes closed involuntarily. "Oh, that is soft. I might have to bid on it." He opened his eyes and looked down at the bid sheet and winced. "Okay, maybe not if the bidding is that high."

Jyn reached for the pen. "It's on me."

---

She turned the deadbolt of the shop door precisely at one. On Sundays and Mondays, when she only opened the shop for a few hours, she spent the mornings taking care of administrivia or tidying up. Occasionally she allowed herself to sleep in, and today she felt she had earned it: she had stayed at the curling fundraiser until the list of silent auction winners was posted, and come home with a voucher that she planned to pass on to Bodhi later today. He'd bailed early, with her blessing and an assurance that she didn't mind walking home.

Leia had spotted her lurking by the auction table nursing a hot chocolate, and demanded to know where Bodhi was. On hearing the explanation, she scowled and said that Jyn was insane to think of walking home in this weather without a coat, and walked away. Jyn expected her dress to be warm enough; the firehall was drafty, and she'd dressed for that. She had gloves in her purse, and a little cold wouldn't kill her. But when Leia strode over with a coat and told Jyn to wear it home and that she'd have it picked up from the shop tomorrow, she'd figured she could let Leia win this one. Even if the coat was not at all something she'd have picked out to go with her dress, and rather large on her, it was warm, and the synthetic fur felt nice when it brushed against her cheeks as she pulled the hood up.

She was faintly surprised when the bells rattled against the glass at five past. She was even more surprised when she saw that it was Cassian Andor. Once she'd glanced up as she scribbled a new amount on the bid sheet for the yarn and seen him looking at her. Not in a creepy way, but thoughtfully, as if she were a puzzle. She was half-surprised he hadn't withdrawn his bid; she'd half expected that he would, and a part of her even hoped that he would.

"Good afternoon," she said tentatively. "Did you want to talk about your silent auction bid?" There, that left the option open for him to say that he'd changed his mind, if he wanted to. She could work something out with Leia to cover his bid if he wanted his money back.

He shook his head. "No, Ms. Erso, I've come to retrieve my coat."

Heat rose instantly to Jyn's cheeks. She fled to the back room, and then had to fight the urge to hide her face in the coat, as the nearest suitable surface. Instead she snatched it from the coat rack, and forced herself to walk back to the front of the shop at a normal pace.

"I am so sorry." She held the coat out to him from behind the counter. "I had no idea Leia had appropriated your coat when she insisted that I wear this home."

"You wouldn't have accepted it if she had?" He said this calmly, but his eyes were on her as if the answer meant something to him.

Jyn shook her head. "I wouldn't have wanted someone else to freeze on my account. I assumed that she raided the lost and found." She paused and bit the inside of her lip. "And, at that point, I didn't want to argue."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "It can be easier not to argue with her when she's annoyed."

"That's what I was thinking," Jyn admitted. She shrugged, and set the coat down gently on the counter, since he didn't seem to be in a hurry to take it back. "If it helps, she usually isn't specifically annoyed at you. More at the universe in general, and it just overflows."

He considered. "I don't think it does."

Jyn heaved a sigh; it lasted for longer than she expected. "Yeah, it usually doesn't." She resisted the urge to fiddle with the fur edging the hood of his coat, just to have something to do with her hands. "Did you meet Leia through her job?"

"Yes, she's our USOC contact." He slid his hands into his back pockets. "Look, Ms. Erso ... I know that Leia, ah, talked you into doing this. I wanted to say, if you'd rather not, you don't have to."

Jyn lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. "I don't back out of professional commitments, Mr. Andor. Unless, of course, you would rather I did."

He shook his head. "I looked at your portfolio. I like your work."

"Thanks." She smiled, and he smiled back. It transformed his face; suddenly he didn't look quite so wary or tense. "You know, I don't usually get many customers on Sunday, anyway. If you want to talk over ideas, I could—"

The door bells clanged again. Andor jumped, and Jyn looked sharply at the entrance. A tall Asian man was pushing the door open.

He looked accusingly at Andor. "Coach Draven wants to know why what was supposed to be a two second stop is taking so long. You've been in here for—"

"Not now, Kay," Andor interrupted. "I'm sorry," he said to Jyn. "This is Kay, my lead. We were actually on our way to practice."

"Right," Jyn said. She hastily gathered up the coat and held it out to him. "Well, now that you have this back—"

He accepted the coat and drew it on. "Thank you."

She laughed a little. "Thank you for the involuntary loan."

He smiled again. She thought she could get used to seeing that smile. "I'll come back after practice. We can continue this."

"Good," Jyn said softly. She lifted her hand in an abbreviated wave as he followed Kay out of the shop. "Stay warm," she murmured as the door closed behind him.

#doptimous #therebelcaptainnetwork #rebelcaptainmay4 #i swear the fact that jyn was working on saturday on an overdue project was not meant to be meta #it was the first thing i wrote weeks ago #:P #also it's still midnight and before the midnight pst deadline so yay me sort of?#i have a complicated relationship with deadlines #my posts #rebelcaptain #fanfic

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kurokonbscenarios · 7 years ago

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Important update

Okay...I’m suddenly unsure how to start this post, but here goes nothing.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. Those of you, who follow me since I still had my askbox open, perhaps know when I closed it and how long has it been since then. And since the fandom of KnB itself quieted down after Last Game, it’s also a reason more for me to address this thought.

As you know, I never really closed the askbox in the beginning, letting requests piling and piling and piling up until I was forced to close it. Most of the reason was because I was still in high school and life was slowly catching up to me and I had less and less time to write and focus on writing in general. You could also follow on some of my personal updates that I promised myself I will never post on this blog so you also know my problems with mom and brother and while I can say it quieted down, I ended in another fight with mom today. But this post isn’t for that. This post is about requests that are dusting in my inbox and I feel disappointed in myself because I couldn’t get to do what I told you I will.

I’ll be honest with you. I have over 500 requests, waiting to be written and posted on this blog and no matter how much I want to work on them, I keep staring at blank document, words ready to be written. And when I try another, I end in a never-ending loop that I can barely get out of it and I end with a writer’s block that has been going on, for what feels like, ages. I understand some of you are going to be upset that your request won’t be written, I myself am upset over this. But I don’t want to lie to any of you, because I can’t focus on any request. Not like I used to. I have around 10 requests in draft and I might end those. Now don’t get me wrong. All of your ideas are amazing and unique and I feel honored when you sent me your headcanon to be written with my lousy writing, but I don’t want to keep you waiting any longer and I’d like to get a new, fresh start with this blog.

None of you is at fault for this, less alone the reason, it’s just that getting a job that takes half of my day, sometimes whole and weekends, and stressing me over not knowing when I work is taking a tool on me. In the last couple of months, I was close to give up everything and I lose my motivation (for anything) twice as quick.

If you wonder if I’ll open askbox. Yes, I will open askbox, with a number of how many I accept in a limited time. I will also make a post one to two hours beforehand, so everyone can see it. And last, but not least, I want to know your opinion. If you’re still reading this, thank you. I know most of you don’t follow me anymore, but have, and a lot of you, who were here from the beginning, stopped, I’m thankful to each and every one of you, even the newest followers.. You’re the reason this blog is still running and I still love KnB and it’s just...taken me so much thoughts, days and nights thinking if I should make this decision or not.

Know that any kind of suggestion is welcomed.

#T-chan #the admin is out #important update #tbd

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austinbeerguide · 5 years ago

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(From our Summer 2019 Issue)

Austin is warming up and you need to cool off. Don’t worry—we got you. Swim first, drink second. Follow our guide for the best swimming hole + brewery combos to escape the heat and quench your thirst.

Hamilton Pool or Reimers Ranch + Family Business

Are you a planner? Fabulous, then make those reservations months in advance to assure entry into Hamilton Pool. Oh, and keep your fingers crossed the bacteria levels are in check so your experience extends beyond the short hike in and out. High bacteria = no swimming, bummer. Regardless, Hamilton Pool is a beautiful grotto to behold, and hopefully swim in. Since reservations are required, it shouldn’t be overly packed and you (no dogs) can enjoy a morning or afternoon of swimming.

Not a planner? High bacteria levels? Forgot to leave Fido at home? Don’t lose your shit—just retrace your steps down Hamilton Pool Road about a mile and turn into Reimers Ranch Park. Known best for rock climbing and mountain biking, you’ll also find some good places to dip in the Pedernales river.

Okay, you swam, and maybe hiked a little, now head back down Hamilton Pool Road and quickly you’ll find Family Business and Nate Seale’s beers. Here it’s easy to keep that outdoor-nature-vibe going as you hang out on their spacious patio or shaded picnic tables. Throw the kids in the gated playground area (so smart) and enjoy some grub from Jep’s Southern Roots, their on-site Cajun food trailer. The natural go-to is the Hamilton Pale Ale, but hey, they’re about bringing family together, so everyone is sure to find a match... and even Fido is welcome.

Blue Hole + Middleton

Another well-known watering hole outside of Austin proper resides in Wimberley. You’ll need reservations to get in during peak season, and be prepared to haul your stuff a ways from parking into the preserved park/swimming area. The creek at Blue Hole is shaded by impressive cypress trees, so not only is it chilly, but there’s very little sun shining through to warm you up (our advice: go when it’s really hot so you can’t wait to take a dip). Feeling adventurous? Take a chance on the rope swing. Although your dog isn’t allowed, picnics and kids are, so come prepared to warm back up on the lawn and relax a while.

After your reservation is expired, or you feel like you’ve got your money’s worth, take Ranch Road 12 south to Middleton Brewing. Middleton offers outdoor, indoor, and rooftop options and is family and dog friendly. In fact, don’t go if you don’t like dogs—there are a lot. They typically have a Slingin’ Sliders on site for you dummies who didn’t take our advice of packing a picnic, and if you stay late enough, your extended drinking may be rewarded with some live music.

Jacob’s Well + Vista

Wimberlinians are lucky to have not one, but two ‘grammable, natural swimming holes. Jacob’s Well, a consistent 68 degree artesian spring, is pretty small but fabulous for soaking your hot feet as you sit on the ledge, or for making a big splash as you launch off the rocks into the submerged cave. We only recommend this hole for brave big kids and adventurous adults who will take advantage of jumping into the cold water, otherwise you’ll get your picture, pretend you had an amazing time (when in reality you dipped your toe in, shrieked it was too cold and complained that it was too crowded) then leave to get your beer on.

So after you get that ‘gram, head to Vista for an equally photo-worthy taproom and views. Avoid getting derailed by the wineries along the route or the smells wafting out of the Salt Lick. You’ll be rewarded with the likes of the sessionable Adair Kolsch, delicate Le Saison Farmhouse Ale, or their ever-changing board that seems to always include something new or barrel-aged. At Vista, you’ll find bountiful outdoor space, picnic tables, swings and a playscape, delicious offerings from their grill, and if planned correctly, a perfect hill country sunset to cap your day.

Georgetown Blue Hole + Rentsch

Pinthouse Round Rock not far enough north for you? Head further up I-35 to Georgetown’s Blue Hole, a lagoon on the south fork of the San Gabriel river. There’s a bit of free parking close to the popular El Monumento restaurant, so plan to go early and bring your big ‘ol tube if you’re willing to risk injury on the natural limestone slide (when the water’s flowing). This swimming hole has something for everyone—deep enough to jump in on one side of the dam, and great for cooling off your feet on the other.

Once you’re ready to leave the other river rats behind and have worked up a good thirst, a short seven minute drive will get you to Rentsch Brewery. First, grab a refreshing Blonde or Hefe (or Radler if you’re feeling fancy), then cool off under their large shade tree and big mister fans—it’s hot y’all. But don’t feel guilty, they brew their beer using 100% renewable energy... so surely their A/C and fans are powered the same way?

Barton Springs + ABGB

Ahhhh, Barton Springs—the obvious choice for locals and tourists alike. Open year-round, this spring-fed, freakin’ cold pool has 900 feet of blue water, a diving board for you to make a fool of yourself, and sprawling lawns begging you to spread out and sunbathe (tops optional) or doze in the shade.

And what goes best with a classic Austin swimming hole? Classic, no, institutional ATX brewers: Amos and Swifty, now complemented by Kim, who produce award-winning lagers to enjoy in the ABGB biergarten, a quick drive south down Lamar to Oltorf and across the tracks. Bring your dog, order a pie, enjoy live music... this is Austin y’all. What’s more is ABGB’s Hell Yes Project lends a hand (lots of hands) in keeping Barton Springs clean, so order another Hell Yes or Rocket 100—it’s like patting them on the back for all their hard work while quenching your thirst. Win-win.

McKinney Falls + Live Oak & Hi Sign

McKinney Falls State Park, located just west of the airport, has two swimming areas: the Upper and Lower Falls. The Upper Falls is definitely more exciting. Planning to take a jump in? We recommend doing some exploration of what’s below beforehand to keep safe from submerged rocks—don’t be a dumbass. You won’t be able to enjoy that beer later if you crack open your skull or break your leg. Choosing to play it safe? Head to the Lower Falls.

Afterward, a quick drive will get you to one of Austin’s oldest running breweries, Live Oak. The expansive biergarten can yield a long, long..long afternoon of drinking, and possibly a game of disc golf (if you’re into that). Not to mention, who doesn’t want a Hefe on a hot summer day? Still not ready to go home? Just down the road is Hi Sign, where you can kick off your shoes and relax in a hammock while drinking another cool one. From swimming to beer, all are family and dog friendly, so do it right and make a day of it. You can thank us later.

Blanco River + Real Ale

Leave the city behind and head west my friend... west about an hour to Blanco River State Park, right along Highway 281. Come prepared to float, kayak, or swim... but bring something to wear on your feet if you’re the “eww, what was that?” kind of person or just don’t want to bust your ass walking across the dam. The park offers kayaks for rent, otherwise you’re on your own to enjoy the river, which includes bountiful picnic tables, grassy areas, and shade for relaxing.

Afterward, grab a fresh draft at Real Ale, just a few short miles back up 281. Of what? Rio Blanco pale ale, obvs, or stick to one of our refreshing favorites: Hans’ Pils. While you’re there, pick up a big green Hans’ tube for your next river outing, and be sure to enjoy some free classic arcade games on the brewery overlook.

Bull Creek + Austin Beerworks

If you slept in too late to make it out-of-town, Bull Creek can help you escape the heat and satisfy your need for a dip. As long as there’s water flowing, bacteria levels should be in check. Near the southern entrance there are some good jumping rocks if the water levels are high enough. There’s also a well-worn natural rock slide for the kid in all of us.

Some sections can get crowded by the afternoon, but don’t worry... in no time you can be at Austin Beerworks sipping one of their summertime must-have beers, Einhorn, or another of their taproom only seasonals. ABW is a family-friendly place that knows how to party and offers endless fresh buttery popcorn in their taproom. Grab a bite from their food truck, CAN-tina, to round out your afternoon. Maybe even pick up a new tank, hat, or sunnies to rep this quintessential Austin brewery.

Hippie Hollow + Oasis

Here’s the cold hard truth: I grew up hearing about Hippie Hollow, but haven’t actually been there. But go, clothing is optional, I’m sure it’s a lovely swim... and especially refreshing if you do it sans suit. Rock that dad bod.

Afterward, hit up Oasis Texas Brewing (not to be confused with The Oasis—unless you want overpriced queso). Here you can enjoy the view while enjoying the brew (ooh, that’s catchy). Grab a Meta Modern Session IPA or Luchesa Lager, along with some food from their Craft Kitchen, then post up—seriously, like you’re Dennis Rodman, desperate for the rebound—so you can score a clear line of site for that money sunset. (For you kids, Dennis Rodman was a basketball player before he became our unofficial ambassador to North Korea.)

Barton Creek Greenbelt/Sculpture & Twin Falls + St. Elmo

The Barton Creek Greenbelt hikes to Sculpture and Twin Falls are two (overly) popular routes to some nice waterfalls... if Austin’s had any recent rain. If not, you will sadly hike out and be greeted by a couple of fat, hungry mosquito pits. When it’s flowing, these are some nice swimming areas with waterfalls, rocks for jumping, or areas to just sit and soak in the sun. Remember, this is a hike, so leave the flops at home and opt for something more substantial.

Once you’ve had your fun in the sun, head over to St. Elmo for a refreshing and super crushable Carl Kolsch. Ready for more? With a solid and constantly changing board, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Their permanent food truck, Soursop, has rich, flavor-packed pan-Asian dishes... and when they say spicy—believe it. While you’re drinking and mowing down some wings, pick up a board game to pass the time, relax outside with your pup, or plan to hit up their Grassy Thursday, a sure hit.

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

Text

Decoding the explosive Ukraine text messages

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/decoding-the-explosive-ukraine-text-messages/

Decoding the explosive Ukraine text messages

The texts offer further evidence that the White House wanted to make the U.S. relationship with Zelensky conditional on Ukraine investigating his political rival—the subject of House Democrats’ deepening impeachment inquiry, and the biggest threat to Trump’s presidency so far. On Friday, Trump denied any quid pro quo, but the texts suggest otherwise.

Below, we annotated the behind-the-scenes negotiations led by Trump’s top Ukraine diplomats that have now become the latest exhibit in the House’s investigation:

Volker 4:48 PM July 19 Mr Mayor — really enjoyed breakfast this morning. As discussed, connecting you here with Andrey Yermak, who is very close to President Zelensky. I suggest we schedule a call together on Monday — maybe 10am or 11am Washington time? Kurt

Six days before Trump’s July 25 call with Zelensky, Volker introduced Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to a top Zelensky aide named Andrey Yermak. By that point, Giuliani had been loudly advertising his belief, for months, that Ukraine should investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter for alleged corruption. Volker reportedly testified during his congressional deposition that he had tried to convince Giuliani that the Biden information he was receiving was unreliable. But Volker established the Giuliani-Yermak link anyway, and facilitated it through phone calls and, ultimately, an in-person meeting.

Volker 4:49 PM July 19 Can we three do a call tomorrow—say noon WASHINGTON?

Sondland 6:50 PM July 19 Looks like Potus call tomorrow. I spike [sic] directly to Zelensky and gave him a full briefing. He’s got it.

Sondland 6:52 PM July 19 Sure!

Volker 7:01 PM July 19 Good. Had breakfast with Rudy this morning—teeing up call w Yermak Monday. Must have helped. Most impt is for Zelensky to say that he will help investigation—and address any specific personnel issues—if there are any.

That same day, Volker circles back with the other diplomats and offers the first indication that he understands that a good relationship between Trump and Zelensky is predicated on “an investigation,” as Giuliani had been demanding. “Personnel issues” likely refers to who Zelensky will choose as the country’s top prosecutor—an important issue for Trump and Giuliani, who want Ukraine to reopen an investigation into the Bidens and examine any role Ukraine may have played to help Democrats in the 2016 election.

Taylor 1:45 AM July 21 Gordon, one thing Kurt and I talked about yesterday was Sasha Danyliuk’s point that President Zelenskyy is sensitive about Ukraine being taken seriously, not merely as an instrument in Washington domestic, reelection politics.

Sondland 4:45 AM July 21 Absolutely, but we need to get the conversation started and the relationship built, irrespective of the pretext. I am worried about the alternative.

Taylor, a career diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006-2009 and was appointed interim chargé d’affaires for Ukraine in June 2019—following then-ambassador Masha Yovanovitch’s sudden recall from Kiev—establishes himself here as the skeptic of the bunch, Notably, he puts in writing for the first time the possibility that Ukraine is being used as an instrument for “reelection politics.” Sondland’s response suggests that the foundation of a Trump-Zelensky “relationship” is Ukraine’s commitment to pursuing the investigations Trump and Giuliani want.

Volker 4:27 PM July 22 Orchestrated a great phone call w Rudy and Yermak. They are going to get together when Rudy goes to Madrid in a couple of weeks.

Volker 4:28 PM July 22 In the meantime Rudy is now advocating for phone call.

Volker 4:28 PM July 22 I have call into Fiona’s replacement and will call Bolton if needed.

Volker 4:28 PM July 22 But I can tell Bolton and you can tell Mick that Rudy agrees on a call if that helps.

Sondland 4:30 PM July 22 I talked to Tim Morrison Fiona’s replacement. He is pushing but feel free as well.

Volker here further advances the Giuliani-Yermak relationship, despite it being abundantly clear what Giuliani wanted: The former New York mayor tweeted, just one month prior, that Zelensky should investigate Biden and alleged Ukrainian meddling in 2016. Volker, Giuliani and Sondland are now pushing for a Trump-Zelensky call in lieu of an in-person meeting, presumably to establish the terms of their relationship as Sondland mentioned the day before. Fiona Hill, who served as Trump’s top adviser on Russia, Ukraine, and the E.U. until June, had been urging the White House to delay a phone call or meeting between Trump and Zelensky as much as possible, according to a former NSC official. But her replacement, Tim Morrison, appears to have been more receptive to the idea.

Volker 8:36 AM July 25 Good lunch — thanks. Heard from White House—Assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate/”get to the bottom of what happened” in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington. Good luck! See you tomorrow- kurt.

This is a key exchange that Democrats are likely to present as further evidence of a direct quid pro quo between Trump and Zelensky. Volker, just hours before Trump and Zelensky speak on the phone, spells it out in black-and-white in a text message to Zelensky’s top aide: The Ukrainian president must convince Trump he will investigate alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election before any Trump-Zelensky summit in Washington is set up.

Note: Trump’s belief that Ukraine meddled in 2016 revolves around a baseless conspiracy theory that the Russians did not hack the Democratic National Committee and that the Ukrainians have been hiding the DNC server that proves it. (The DNC sent images of its servers to the FBI, and they remain at DNC headquarters.) Giuliani has also alleged that Ukraine helped Democrats dig up dirt on Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was a top adviser to the exiled pro-Russian president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. But during his trial, Manafort’s former deputy Rick Gates testified that his boss had indeed received millions in secret payments from various Ukrainian oligarchs on Yanukovych’s behalf.

Yermak 10:15 AM July 25 Phone call went well. President Trump proposed to choose any convenient dates. President Zelenskiy chose 20,21,22 September for the White House Visit. Thank you again for your help! Please remind Mr. Mayor to share the Madrid’s dates.

Volker 10:16 AM July 25 Great —thanks and will do!

By saying the call went well, Yermak seems to be saying that Zelensky successfully convinced Trump that Ukraine will investigate Biden and the alleged Ukrainian interference. “In addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the president of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly,” Zelensky told Trump, according to a rough transcript of the call. Trump had asked for the investigation as “a favor” after reminding Zelensky how much the U.S. supports Kiev both financially and politically.

After Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son with the help of Attorney General Bill Barr, Zelensky reassured Trump he would select a new prosecutor general who is “100% my person, my candidate,” and he or she “will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue.”

A brief explanation: Biden’s son Hunter served on the board of directors of an oil and gas company, Burisma, that was investigated briefly by the chief Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in 2015. Giuliani and Trump have alleged that Biden, as vice president, urged Ukraine to fire Shokin because he was investigating Hunter—but the probe had been dormant for a year by the time Biden, and the bulk of the international community, asked Ukraine to fire Shokin because he was seen as lax on corruption.

Sondland 5:25 PM August 9 Morrison ready to get dates as soon as Yermak confirms.

Volker 5:26 PM August 9 Excellent!! How did you sway him? 🙂

Sondland 5:47 PM August 9 Not sure i did. I think potus really wants the deliverable

Volker 5:48 PM August 9 But does he know that?

Sondland 5:48PM August 9 Yep

Sondland 5:48 PM August 9 Clearly lots of convos going on

Volker 5:48 PM August 9 Ok—then that’s good it’s coming from two separate sources

Sondland 5:51 PM August 9 To avoid misunderstandings, might be helpful to ask Andrey for a draft statement (embargoed) so that we can see exactly what they propose to cover. Even though Ze does a live presser they can still summarize a brief statement. Thoughts?

Volker 5:51 August 9 Agree!

This is an important exchange, in which Sondland reports that Tim Morrison, Fiona Hill’s replacement, has agreed to set up a Trump-Zelensky meeting—largely because Trump “really wants the deliverable,” presumably of Ukraine’s promise to launch the requested investigations.

By this point, the Ukrainians were extremely eager to arrange a White House summit because of the legitimacy such a meeting would confer on the new president and the symbolic importance of showing Russia, Kiev’s chief adversary, that the U.S. fully supports the new Ukrainian government. Sondland is indicating that dangling a date for the summit might spur the Ukrainians to take action sooner—but the U.S. also wants an assurance of some kind beforehand in the form of a “draft statement” that was first disclosed by the New York Times on Thursday night. The statement, which Zelensky does not appear to have ultimately given, would have committed Ukraine to conduct the investigations requested by Trump.

Volker 11:27 AM August 9 Hi Mr Mayor! Had a good chat with Yermak last night. He was pleased with your phone call. Mentioned Z making a statement. Can we all get on the phone to make sure I advise Z correctly as to what he should be saying? Want to make sure we get this done right. Thanks!

Sondland Good idea Kurt. I am on Pacific time.

Giuliani Yes can you call now going to Fundraiser at 12:30

Here, again, Volker brings Giuliani into the mix for advice on drafting a public statement delivered by Zelensky that would commit him to investigating the Bidens and the alleged Ukrainian interference in 2016. Volker is apparently trying to orchestrate the exact set of circumstances under which Trump would agree to work with Zelensky—on the one hand, doing his job to facilitate a better U.S.-Ukraine relationship, but on the other, allowing that relationship to be predicated on Trump’s personal political desires. Notably, this seems to confirm the whistleblower’s description in their complaint that Volker and Sondland “provided advice to the Ukrainian leadership about how to ‘navigate’ the demands that the president made.”

Yermak 4:56 PM August 10 Hi Kurt. Please let me know when you can talk. I think it’s possible to make this declaration and mention all these things. Which we discussed yesterday. But it will be logic to do after we receive a confirmation of date. We inform about date of visit and about our expectations and our guarantees for future visit. Let discuss it

Volker 5:01 PM August 10 Ok! It’s late for you—why don’t we talk in my morning, your afternoon tomorrow? Say 10am/5pm?

Volker 5:02 PM August 10 I agree with your approach. Let’s iron out statement and use that to get date and then PreZ can go forward with it?

Yermak 5:26 PM August 10 Ok

Volker 5:38 PM August 10 Great. Gordon is available to join as well

Yermak 5:41 PM August 10 Excellent

Yermak 5:42 PM August 10 Once we have a date, will call for a press briefing, announcing upcoming visit and outlining vision for the reboot of US-UKRAINE relationship, including among other things Burisma and election meddling in investigations

Volker 5:42 PM August 10 Sounds great!

Yermak gets assertive and plays a little hardball here, asking Volker to lock in a date for a Trump-Zelensky summit before Zelensky agrees to release a statement committing to any investigations. Volker tries to negotiate and offers a middle ground: show us the draft statement and we’ll use that as leverage with the president to set a date. Yermak then explicitly spells out the plan for the first time: After a date for a summit is set, Zelensky will hold a press conference announcing the visit to Washington and committing to an examination of both Burisma and election meddling as part of a “reboot” of the U.S.-Ukraine relationship. Volker, rather than express trepidation about this plan, says it “sounds great.”

Two days later, on August 12, a whistleblower filed a formal complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General alleging that “the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election. This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President’s main domestic political rivals.”

Volker 10:26 AM August 13 Special attention should be paid to the problem of interference in the political processes of the United States especially with the alleged involvement of some Ukrainian politicians. I want to declare that this is unacceptable. We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future.

Sondland 10:27 AM August 13 Perfect. Lets send to Andrey after our call

Here, Volker sends Sondland some of the language he would like to see in the statement released by Zelensky—note: it includes specific references to both Burisma, the company that included Hunter Biden on its board of directors, and “interference” in the 2016 election,and a promise not only to examine the episodes, but to actually “initiate and complete” a full investigation. Sondland agrees and suggests they send it directly to Yermak, presumably to relay to Zelensky.

Sondland 3:06 PM August 17 Do we still want Ze to give us an unequivocal draft with 2016 and Boresma?

Volker 4:34 PM August 17 That’s the clear message so far…

Volker 4:34 PM August 17 I’m hoping we can put something out there that causes him to respond with that

Sondland 4:41 PM August 17 Unless you think otherwise I will return Andreys call tomorrow and suggest the send us a clean draft.

Volker reiterates that the “clear message” being sent to Zelensky is that the diplomats want “an unequivocal draft” that specifically mentions investigating both 2016 election interference and Burisma—again, the company associated with Hunter Biden.

Yermak 2:28 AM August 29 Need to talk with you

Yermak 3:06 AM August 29 Trump holds up Ukraine military aid meant to confront Russia

Volker 6:55 AM August 29 Hi Andrey — absolutely. When is good for you?

Trouble ahead for Volker as it becomes public from POLITICO reporting that Trump ordered his national security team to put a hold on military assistance aid to Ukraine. Up until this point, the Ukrainians evidently believed that the only thing being held over their head by the Trump administration, in exchange for a commitment to probing Burisma and 2016 interference, was a summit with Trump at the White House. As it turns out, financial assistance that Ukraine has used to fend off Russian aggression in the east was also frozen while the talks were ongoing.

Taylor 12:14 AM August 30 Trip canceled

Volker 12:16 AM August 30 Hope VPOTUS keeps the bilat — and tees up WH visit…

Volker 12:16 AM August 30 And hope Gordon and Perry still going…

Sondland 5:31 AM August 30 I am going. Pompeo is speaking to Potus today to see if he can go.

Taylor 12:08 PM Sept 1 Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?

Sondland 12:42 PM Sept 1 Call me

One day after POLITICO revealed that military assistance aid was being withheld, Trump canceled his trip to Poland where he was expected to meet with Zelensky, citing a need to remain in the U.S. to monitor an impending hurricane. One day later, Taylor, who has already established himself as skeptical of the way the Zelensky-Trump relationship is being handled, asks Sondland a pointed question following revelations that the aid has been frozen: “Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?” Sondland then suggests moving the conversation offline.

Sondland 11:20 AM Sept 8 Guys multiple convos with Ze, Potus. Lets talk

Taylor 11:21 AM Sept 8 Now is fine with me

Volker 11:26 AM Sept 8 Try again—could not hear

Taylor 11:40 AM Sept 8 Gordon and I just spoke. I can brief you if you and Gordon didn’t connect.

Taylor 12:37 PM Sept 8 The nightmare is they give the interview and don’t get the security assistance. The Russians love it. (And I quit.)

This is a particularly striking exchange—Taylor seems to threaten to quit if Zelenky does the requested press interview and commits to the investigations, but Trump still holds up the security assistance. He also says the Russians will “love it” if that happens, indicating how important the aid is both symbolically and practically for Ukraine to fend off Russian aggression.

Taylor 12:31 AM Sept 9 The message to the Ukrainians (and Russians) we send with the decision on security assistance is key. With the hold, we have already shaken their faith in us. Thus my nightmare scenario.

Taylor 12:34 AM Sept 9 Counting on you to be right about this interview, Gordon.

Sondland 12:37 AM Sept 9 Bill, I never said I was “right”. I said we are where we are and believe we have identified the best pathway forward. Let’s hope it works.

Taylor 12:47 AM Sept 9 As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.

Sondland 5:19 AM Sept 9 I Believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions. The President has been clear no quid pro quo’s of any kind. The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign I suggest we stop the back and forth by text If you still have concerns I recommend you give Lisa Kenna or a call to discuss them directly. Thanks.

One day later, Taylor is still trying to convey how important the assistance aid is to the Ukrainians, and how the hold placed on the aid has “already” shaken their faith in the U.S. This further corroborates the idea that the Ukrainians didn’t know this freeze on aid was even on the table. Sondland then indicates that the best way to restore the relationship and get Trump to release the security assistance is for Zelensky to go ahead with the interview—again likely referring to a press interview in which he commits to the investigations.

Taylor then responds with a comment that’s been seen by Democrats as an elucidation of the exact quid-pro-quo disclosed by the whistleblower: “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.” Sondland responds five hours later that there is no quid pro quo, and suggests “we stop the back and forth by text.”

Two days later, on September 11, Trump released the hold on Pentagon and State Department aid. On Wednesday, the State Department approved a $39 million sale of additional Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, which Zelensky had specifically requested in his July 25 call with Trump. On Friday, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Riaboshapka, announced that his office would conduct an audit of cases closed by his predecessors, of which there are 15 that deal with wealthy businessmen connected to Burisma. Notably, though, Riaboshapka did not commit to opening new investigations into Burisma itself or election interference directly.

#Foreign #messages #Politics #Ukraine

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